After the raid on the “Last Generation” protest group in Germany, the United Nations emphasized the importance of climate protectionists and their actions. “Climate activists – led by the moral voice of young people – have pressed on with their goals even in the darkest of days. They need to be protected and we need them now more than ever,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres , the German Press Agency in New York.
“At key moments, protesters have been instrumental in persuading governments and business leaders to do much more,” Dujarric said. Without them, global climate targets would already be out of reach. However, Guterres’ spokesman also pointed out that despite the fundamental right to peaceful demonstrations, governments naturally have a responsibility to enforce the law and ensure security.
Police and public prosecutors raided the “Last Generation” climate protection group on Wednesday morning. Around 170 officers searched 15 apartments and business premises in seven federal states, as announced by the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. The charge is to form or support a criminal organization.
In contrast to the United Nations, Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the suspicion of crimes committed by the “last generation”. The rule of law cannot ignore the fact that the group has repeatedly made itself punishable, he said Cologne City Gazette. He also sticks to his statement that the traffic blockades are “completely crazy”.
The activists, on the other hand, vehemently deny being criminals. In the social networks, they criticized the proportionality of the searches. Carla Hinrichs, spokeswoman for the “Last Generation”, described in a Twitter video how a police officer with a bulletproof vest and a drawn gun stood by her bed.
The activists are now calling for protest marches across Germany instead of sit-ins. The raid “hit everyone hard, but we’re not afraid,” the group said on Friday. Demonstrations are planned in Berlin, Frankfurt and Ulm this Friday against the actions of the federal government and for more climate protection. According to the “Last Generation” website, next Wednesday there seems to be a focus day with nine planned demos. Among other things, they should take place in Leipzig, Cologne and Stuttgart.
Activists want to show deficits in climate policy
The “Last Generation” regularly draws attention to the consequences of global warming with sit-ins and actions in museums, their members often sticking themselves to streets or works of art. They are also accused of attacking oil industry facilities.
With their protest, the “Last Generation” wants to bring the deficits of German climate policy onto the agenda – for example with a view to the immense climate-damaging emissions from car traffic. The activists are calling for a so-called social council to plan the end of the use of fossil fuels in Germany by 2030. They also demand 100 km/h on the motorway and a nine-euro ticket.