Berlin.
Again and again members of the “last generation” are condemned. But the activists do not have to pay for fines themselves.
They are invited to coffee by the government in Germany and at the same time block umpteen streets in the federal capital: The Climate activists of the “Last Generation”. Again and again they are sentenced to fines by German courts. Even if the daily rates are low – in Munich, for example, a court ordered the street gluers to pay 375 euros – the fines add up for many activists.
Also read: After meeting with Wissing – Klima-Kleber have the next goal
Most recently, two members of the group in Hamburg had to pay 1,500 euros each. You were at one protest action involved in the Audimax of the University of Hamburg, where the windows and doors of the building were “smeared with slogans”, as the indictment said. In the Hamburg case and similar nationwide, judges recognize the cause of property damage and demonstrations, i.e. the protection of livelihoods. However, the activists should not “disregard the law because of their political concerns,” said a Hamburg district judge, for example.
A capital investment company from Düsseldorf pays the penalties
But where do the activists actually get the money to pay their fines? This announced the “last generation‘ via the social network Twitter: ‘A public company pays all our fines.’
Behind the “Aktiengesellschaft” is a company called Ökoworld AG based in Dusseldorf. According to the company, it makes its money with “ecological investment advice”. The founder and CEO Alfred Platow explains the procedure: “Once the offenders have paid the fine, (…) , we assume the fees 100 percent and transfer the money to the respective private account against proof of the traffic ticket and transfer receipt.” The company wants to send the signal how important it is to stand up for climate protection.
Activists expect easier recruitment
What does this mean for drivers in Germany? Presumably more traffic jams, because the members of the “Last Generation” write on Twitter that this pledge “falls an important hurdle to participate in protests in the future”. That means: regardless of whether you are unemployed or on low wages, the activist group will probably no longer have a problem in the future, volunteers for the roadblocks to win. The street gluers have to serve a prison sentence themselves, but if the judges leave it at a fine, Ökoworld will take over the bill.
Also read the comment: Wissing ennobles the climate stickers of the “last generation” – a mistake
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