Several hundred activists from the radical climate protest group “Last Generation” have been preparing in Berlin since Wednesday to paralyze the federal capital with various protest actions at the beginning of next week. The climate stickers want to force the federal government to present a “credible plan” on how Germany can contribute to preventing global warming by more than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century.
In the past few months, Berlin has repeatedly been the center of the highly controversial actions, for which the predominantly young activists have repeatedly been criticized by environmental organizations such as “Fridays For Future”, WWF and various top politicians from the Greens. In addition to road blockades, this also includes paint bag attacks on famous works of art in museums or political institutions.
Blocks of three are designed to block speeders on the freeway
With more than 800 activists already arriving or at least registered from all over Germany, the forthcoming protest phase could be the largest planned by the “Last Generation” so far. The organizers have also announced that this time the “disruptive actions” will continue until the federal government meets the group’s demands. To this end, the activists have built up an extensive network of sympathizers in Berlin, who also help the participants with accommodation.
The planned methods with which the activists want to achieve this goal are also new. On their website, for example, they mention brake blockages on motorways in addition to the already known sticking campaigns on main traffic arteries. The group wants to use them to draw attention to the required speed limit of 100.
To this end, all existing lanes of the respective motorway are to be blocked by the activists’ “vehicles driving parallel at the same height” in such a way that all following vehicles are slowed down to the speed of the activists. The declared goal is “causing a fault in the system at a sensitive point in ‘Autoland Germany'”. The activist vehicles should be provided with large stickers and inscriptions such as “Speed limit NOW” to make the action easier to recognize.
Instructions for crafting Fake Oil for smearing attacks on buildings
The “Last Generation” also gives its supporters numerous extremely comprehensive guides. This includes information on how the legal consequences of the actions can be kept as low as possible. But also a recipe for making water-based “fake oil”. This substance was used a few days ago when a group of activists smeared the entrance area of the FDP federal office in Berlin-Mitte.
Another variant are risky sticking actions on bridges that run over roadways and posters are to be attached to the outer railings. The activists are instructed in detail on the website how they can climb such bridges and then stick themselves to the railing with the “finger lock”. To do this, have a person tape the index or middle finger and thumb of one hand into a small, curved piece of tubing after grasping a railing pole. When the police evacuate, the street below is closed for safety reasons – which in turn creates a traffic jam.
Slow protest marches “game changers”?
Also on Wednesday, the climate stickers in Berlin used a new form of traffic obstruction for the first time, which as a more effective variant could supplement or perhaps even replace the stickers: slow protest marches.
However, since the protests are all unannounced, the demonstrators expect a greater disruptive potential from them than from the sticking actions. The “Welt” reports on the group’s plans. This tactic is said to be based on plans by the activist group Just Stop Oil, the British sister organization of the “Last Generation”. Both belong to the “A22 Network”, an international network of various climate activist groups.
These so-called “slow marches” – slow marches – are “both radical and a game changer”, according to the internal paper of the “Last Generation”. And further: “We use our intelligence to outmaneuver our opponents in the face of their stubborn repression.” On Wednesday, the group in Berlin organized such protest marches simultaneously in four different places.
Habeck and Jarasch criticize “Last Generation”
There were also isolated disruptive actions on Thursday, but all of them were quickly resolved by the police. In addition to color attacks, some activists glued themselves to buses to block traffic.
Climate Protection and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) clearly condemned the actions. “This protest does not make climate protection a majority, but annoys people and divides society,” Habeck told RTL / ntv. Criticism also came from Berlin’s top Green Bettina Jarasch. In the “Tagesspiegel” she expressed understanding for the concern of the climate stickers. However, it is important to improve climate protection with concrete measures. “My impression is that the ‘last generation’ does not succeed with their actions.”
