- “End our protest, Mr. Scholz. Get honest.”
Berlin, September 13.9.2023, 9, 30:13 a.m. - From today on, the Last Generation protest will once again focus on Berlin. At 35 p.m., a protest march will start from the Reformation Church in Moabit, Beusselstrasse XNUMX, through the capital, where the Scholz government is currently gambling away our future.
At the press conference last Friday, spokeswoman Carla Hinrichs emphasized: “Our protest will end when the change has been initiated.”
In an open letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the last generation once again emphasizes why they are protesting: “We are not calling for the phase-out of fossil fuels by 2030. We are approaching you with this physical necessity and demanding honesty. We demand respect. We demand that you no longer duck your responsibilities.
We need comprehensive change, that is undisputed. A turnaround in the way we live and do business. This can only work if there is honest communication about it.”
And further: “That’s why we’re taking to the streets. Because we want and must initiate a change - out of political powerlessness and into honest climate policy. Away from fossil fuels and towards fairness. We're running out of time. And yet we hold on to hope. We are ready to protest indefinitely in the capital.”
At the same time they make it clear: “But we wish that this is not necessary. We wish you no longer delay the inevitable. How long do you think you can maintain the illusion before catastrophe strikes with full force and makes any repression impossible? The next election period? The next two? We cannot and will not wait that long.
End our protest, Mr. Scholz. Get honest.”
The full letter
Dear Mr. Scholz,
Developments in this decade are crucial for determining the extent of the damage from the climate crisis now and in the next millennia. The necessary measures are known - but the window of opportunity for implementation is rapidly closing. This is what the IPCC says. But now we no longer need forecasts and calculations to understand how serious the situation is. We are in the middle of a climate catastrophe. People die every day as a result. We are witnessing how crucial elements are beginning to tip over, how the Amazon is dying, the Gulf Stream is drying up, the Arctic is melting. Let’s face it – no matter what we do, things will never be the same again. And yet we have not lost control yet. We are the last people who have the opportunity to mitigate the catastrophic consequences, to prepare ourselves for what is to come and to avert the collapse of society. But we have to start NOW.
Your term in office is marked by extraordinary crises. We recognize that. But that does not release you from the obligations you assumed when you took the oath of office.
They have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution and the laws of the Confederation; To avert damage to the German population. This is the role you signed up for, accepted and now hold.
Will you listen as scientists explain the plight we are in? Do you read the reports that show the huge gaps between what you are doing and what is necessary, what the constitution requires? How do you come to the conclusion that you have the situation under control?
We want to believe you. We want to live our lives in the certainty that there is someone in the Chancellery who has everything under control. But if your own panel of experts contradicts you, what do you think? We cannot buy security from your belief that the measures you are taking are sufficient.
With every ton of CO₂ we emit, the likelihood of the climate system collapsing increases. We have to get out of fossil fuels as an emergency – i.e. get out of oil, gas and coal. 2045 is far too late. 2030 is a realistic, socially possible time horizon for the exit. If we in Germany take our own values ​​and the laws of physics seriously, we must be fossil-free by 2030 at the latest.
You keep talking about respect. They step in front of the camera and choose words of appreciation and recognition.
But what you communicate has nothing to do with respect. To train people in jobs that have no future, to lull pensioners who are threatened with heat death into security, and to make parents believe that their children have a rosy future
– with all due respect, that’s disrespectful.
Out of respect for the people who have placed their trust in you comes the obligation to treat them with honesty and sincerity, even in bad times.
To ensure that we do not lose all control over the escalating climate catastrophe, we all need to get a sense of the danger we are currently in.
But you don't convey that feeling. We asked ourselves why for a long time. And we don't want to accuse you of any malice - given what we're heading into, that would be outrageous. No, what we are assuming is the following:
They don't dare to initiate the turnaround. Because you don't believe in the enormous, necessary transformation. And because you don't dare to say and do things that are initially unpopular. And you don't dare admit to yourself that for years, if not decades, you have stood idly by as the climate catastrophe escalated and dragged thousands of people to their deaths.
Many citizens feel the same way. But the possibilities of these people are very limited compared to yours, Mr. Scholz.
We can write petitions. We can get involved in local politics, ensuring that the village green is greened or that the shop windows remain dark at night. Both, as you will agree, are important components of our democracy - but they are not suitable for advancing the necessary transformation at the necessary speed.
After all, we can vote - politicians who stand for election as “climate chancellors” and then simply do not keep the promise that resonates in their posters and speeches. These are the options.
One still remains. And that is the protest. Protest forces you to leave your comfort zone. When protesting, you say and do things that are initially unpopular. This is not easy. This requires overcoming and courage.
Our protest costs us dearly. Strength, time, money, our education, our job, friends, family, lightheartedness, future plans.
Why are we still protesting? For the same reason, Mr. Scholz, that you should leave your comfort zone and do what is necessary instead of what is popular.
There is an incredible amount to be won. And if we hesitate any longer, we will lose everything. Then every plan for the future falls apart.
We are not calling for an exit from fossil fuels by 2030. We are approaching you with this physical necessity and demanding honesty. We demand respect. We demand that you no longer duck your responsibilities.
We need comprehensive change, that is undisputed. A turnaround in the way we live and do business. This can only work if it is communicated honestly.
That's why we take to the streets. Because we want and must initiate a change - out of political powerlessness and into honest climate policy. Away from fossil fuels and towards fairness. We're running out of time. And yet we hold on to hope. We are ready to protest indefinitely in the capital. But we wish that this is not necessary. We wish you no longer delay the inevitable. How long do you think you can maintain the illusion before catastrophe strikes with full force and makes any repression impossible? The next election period? The next two? We cannot and will not wait that long.
End our protest, Mr. Scholz. Get honest.
Sincerely
The citizens of the last generation