Today we celebrate 75 years of the Basic Law. Those responsible in politics have all sworn an oath to the constitution, including Mayor Kornblum. Basic Law Article 20a obliges the government to assume comprehensive responsibility: “The state is also responsible for protecting the natural foundations of life for future generations.” But the government is refusing to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect the basis of life:
The Federal Constitutional Court already ruled in 2021, that the government's climate protection law is far from sufficient to fulfill the constitutional obligation to protect life and health from the dangers of climate change.
However, the inadequate climate protection law was not improved - on the contrary, it was further undermined in the summer of 2023 and the immediate transport and building programs to be presented in July 2023 were simply not drawn up.
In view of this dramatic situation, climate activists of the last generation from Braunschweig have asked Mayor Kornblum for support, analogous to Mayor Onay from Hanover. Mayor Onay emphasized in his letter to the federal government that municipalities urgently need support from federal politics when it comes to climate protection.
But Mayor Kornblum ignored the offer to talk and spoke to the council about alleged criminals, even though there are no convictions in Braunschweig and even a number of acquittals for protesting climate activists nationwide. Instead, his administration reacted with a general decree with criminal penalties that severely restricts the right to assembly.
Dennis Köhler (28, student): “It doesn’t help anyone to ignore and criminalize us people who are so committed to everyone’s survival. As long as the emergency and the government's failure are so blatant, we and more and more people will continue to protest. That’s why we’re sitting here today!”
Olaf Scholz was celebrated as climate chancellor; climate protection should be a priority. Climate researcher and long-time government advisor Stefan Rahmstorf criticizes the fact that the 1,5 degree mark in global warming can no longer be stopped. There is a lack of political will among governments. The scientifically proven urgency is ignored. Cream peat: “I don’t see Scholz treating this as a priority” and added: “Without pressure from society, politics listens far too much to industrial lobbyists. (…) And it is even the case that I have the impression from conversations that many MPs have not even read the summary for decision-makers of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, but only get information from the media.”
The consequences of the lack of climate protection are obvious: July was the hottest month ever recorded worldwide. Forest fires, food and water shortages, droughts and heat phases of over 50 degrees Celsius are now a reality - with thousands of heat-related deaths every year. The climate crisis is escalating.
Edmund Schultz (59, project manager) emphasizes: “The climate crisis is not just urgent and serious. It is a threat to our existence.” He adds: “When the world is in grave danger, we must protest against further destruction of livelihoods – more than ever before. This is a Question of conscience. "
Sonja Manderbach (church musician, 46, from Oldenburg) follows her conscience. She is sure which side of history she wants to be on: “If I have the choice between either applause for myself without actually changing anything about the collective reality, or the chance to make an effective contribution to saving the world without being applauded – then which choice do I make?”
One thing is undisputed: the protests of the last generation cannot be ignored. They confront the absolute urgency of the climate crisis and awaken unpleasant feelings such as guilt and shame. But the consequences of the climate crisis are even more unpleasant.
The Last Generation protests are a public encouragement: the worst can still be prevented.
Lilli Gómez (23, social work student) explains: “The pandemic has cost millions of lives and plunged the entire world into a state of emergency. But an ever-increasing climate crisis will take on a completely different scale. We as the “last generation before the tipping points” are the one The population's will to survive. Our protests invite us not to remain in fatalism and inaction.”
More and more people are showing solidarity with the last generation and their demands and are protesting against the government's violation of the constitution - including many people who have taken an oath to the constitution.
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