Prepared fire extinguishers are said to have been used during the color campaign.
(Photo: Reuters)
Berlin Members of the climate protection group Last Generation sprayed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with orange paint. All six pillars were affected. Around 40 emergency services were on site, a police spokesman said on Sunday morning. There were 14 arrests. According to the spokesman, an investigation is being carried out due to damage to property that is harmful to the public.
The police cordoned off a large area around the Berlin landmark. Gate cleaning should begin the same day. As a reporter from the dpa news agency reported, numerous passers-by reacted negatively to the action. There was sharp criticism from politicians.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) emphasized that the landmark is a symbol of Berlin as a city of freedom. “With these actions, this group is not only damaging the historic Brandenburg Gate, but also our free discourse about the important issues of our time and future.”
The group’s actions are not legitimate protests, but rather illegal damage to property and crimes. In doing so, they are doing the important issue of climate protection a disservice.
The Last Generation said the protest was “part of the so-called turning point”. To initiate this, hundreds of people have come to Berlin since last Wednesday. The group has announced new weeks of action, and from this Monday there will be road blockades in the capital again. The police want to react quickly and observe well-known intersections and motorway exits at an early stage.
The paint should be removed as quickly as possible.
(Photo: dpa)
Last Generation said prepared fire extinguishers were used during the color campaign on Sunday. According to the police, climate activists also wanted to climb the Brandenburg Gate. A patrol noticed the lifting platform on the west side and prevented this.
>> Read here: Is it worth going it alone when it comes to climate protection? A review of German energy policy
In addition to road blockades, color attacks are a regular part of climate activists’ actions. The group demands that Germany stop using fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas from 2030. The federal government is aiming for a climate-neutral economy by 2045.
Police officers lead away arrested members of the climate protection group.
(Photo: dpa)
In Berlin, members of the Last Generation defaced the Basic Law monument, among other things. The party headquarters of the SPD, Greens and FDP were also the target of actions, as were luxury shops on Kurfürstendamm and a private plane at the capital’s BER airport.
At the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, the protest by climate activists has now led to 2,860 cases (as of September 15), as the authority announced at the request of the German Press Agency. The majority of cases involve actions by the climate protection group Last Generation (2458).
More: Lufthansa wants compensation from “Last Generation” after blockages