Berlin.
The Union does not get through with its demand for tougher penalties against the “last generation”. Why even the AFD voted against it.
While in the Bundestag about higher penalties for road blocker is debated, the pulse in Berlin’s city traffic is racing – perhaps a little too high when road users attack road blockers at Hermannplatz in Neukölln and are arrested by the police. The conflict over the “paralyzed” city is not only troubling the parliamentarians in the Bundestag. The question that occupies the plenum: should there be higher penalties for the activists?
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group has submitted a corresponding application. In it, the factions under Friedrich Merz and Alexander Dobrindt call for road blockers imprisonment from three months to five years for coercion, up to five years for dangerous interventions in road traffic and three years for the disability of persons providing assistance – for example, if ambulances get stuck in traffic because of the actions. Damage to works of art is also said to be treated as a “severe case” and punished with a minimum prison sentence of three months. Also read: Amthor against Last Generation: Demands “much too lukewarm”
Road blockers: AFD is bothered by the Union’s climate rhetoric
“But the freedom to demonstrate is not a license to instrumentalize thousands of citizens for their own radical positions,” said CDU MP Günter Krings, explaining the concerns of his parliamentary group, which, with its application to become a lawyer for climate issues sees confirmed. “So their radical actions do not promote more climate protection, but damage this necessary acceptance of the issue in our population.”
The applause however, this comes solely from the ranks of the Union – probably also because the AfD is disturbed by the understanding of climate issues by the CDU and CSU. “The Union’s application suffers from the fact that it initially pays homage to the climate religion,” explains AfD MP Thomas Seitz, who describes road blockers as “criminals”, “chaotic” or, in Dobrindt’s rhetoric, as “Climate RAF”. Also exciting:
The traffic light government, however, feels in its rejection of the Union application united, but still clearly criticizes the activists: “To be honest, I could do without three things: firstly, road blockers, secondly, museum rioters and thirdly, today’s motion by the Union,” said FDP politician Stephan Thomae. The road blockers would have to ask themselves “when does justice become self-righteous – or complacency,” said Helge Lindh (SPD).
The blockers do not have to fear harsher penalties: only the poor of the Union faction went up in the vote for tightened laws in the block – both the traffic light factions and the parties on the left and right edges of the plenary voted against.
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