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2023
Summary press conference
Social turning point in autumn: away from fossil fuels – towards fairness
Rolf Meyer, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Froitzheim, Chiara Malz, Carla Hinrichs and Lina Johnsen in front of the Federal Chancellery
Berlin, June 08.09.2023, 11, 30:XNUMX a.m – Today the press conference on the upcoming, permanent Last Generation protests took place in Berlin.
On Wednesday, September 13.9th from 11 a.m. the last generation invites you into the Reformation Church in Moabit a, from where around 13 pm a protest march starts through Berlin. Explained about this Carla Hinrichs: “There are two interesting utensils in the luggage and used, stay tuned. Nobody has to use them, but anyone who wants to use them particularly intensively is required to wear a suit and tie.”
Here you will find a summary of the most important points from the press conference.
At the press conference, the supporters of the Last Generations were represented by:
- Rolf Meyer (56), qualified physicist
- Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim (65), geologist
- Chiara Malt (32), expectant mother, active in a number of climate projects as a volunteer
- Carla Hinrichs (26), speaker of the Last Generation
Protest can only be ended politically
First summarized Rolf Meyer the current situation in Bavaria, where responsibility for the prevailing conflict is being transferred to the police and judiciary. He emphasized: “The conflict is a political conflict and politicians must take responsibility.”
Necessary exit from coal, oil and gas by 2030 – Scholz, be honest
Afterwards clarified Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheimhow dramatic the situation we find ourselves in is.
“We no longer live on the earth we knew.”
He also explained how we got into this situation and what course we must now take:
“Our politicians consistently refuse to recognize physical reality. For scientists like me, this denial of reality was and is despairing. 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.”
Finally he emphasized very clearly: "Olaf Scholz knows that we need a comprehensive change, but he doesn't dare to speak this uncomfortable truth, to say unpopular things. Olaf Scholz says he has everything under control. A life-threatening lie is being told to the population here."
Then he added: “We will end the protest when the government initiates the necessary political change that will fairly make Germany fossil-free by 2030.”
The last generation before the tipping points – that’s all of us.
“No status, no likes, no money, no uniform protects me from dying of thirst and feeds my family.”
Chiara Malt reported on their personal motivation and on the bridges that the last generation is building with their networking work in all areas of society. There is networking with churches, in the arts and culture, in healthcare, in agriculture, in the climate justice movement, in politics, with celebrities, and yes, even with the police.
Protests in Berlin from September 13.09th
Finally led Carla Hinrichs the necessary change and explained how the last generation wants to initiate it.
“We are on a direct course towards climate hell, whether the government or a social council puts the brakes on us is not what it should be about. One thing is clear: we have to end this course. That means: A fossil-free Germany by 2030.”
"We will not leave Berlin until there is a political change: away from fossil fuels and towards fairness! Nobody will be able to ignore the fact that we are now setting out to get the city moving, here on the government's doorstep.
We take to the streets together. We protest with doctors and farmers, with nurses and representatives of the church, with artists and cultural workers and scientists. Our protest will be direct, loud and diverse.”
She also presented an inventory list of the material warehouses “bulging”: roses, poles for a hurdle race, oil, masks, bicycles, an armchair, ropes, overalls of course, diapers, banknotes, polystyrene, chickens and other animals, hay, fire extinguishers, eggs, tomatoes, black color, orange color, red color, white paint, tools, tons of edible food, agricultural equipment, cars, including SUVs, horns, hazardous waste, moving boxes, 6000 sun hats - and of course a lot of glue.
Responsibility in the climate crisis
Following the speeches, a short question and answer session began, in which questions were primarily raised about social acceptance of the form of protest and further details about the protest. Interrupted after a few minutes Prof. Dr. Froitzheim the group and frustratedly clarified once again what it was actually about. The enormous danger we are in, the unparalleled urgency and the responsibility this brings for all of us.
Last appealed speaker Lina Johnsen, who moderated the press conference, to the press representatives present: “Their job, their duty, is to bring that reality, that honesty into the discourse and not let the government get away with dishonesty, otherwise democratic discourse won’t work.”
Invitation press conference
Protest announcement in front of the Federal Chancellery
Dear press representatives,
We hereby remind you once again of tomorrow Press conference on Friday, September 8.9.2023th, 10, at XNUMX a.m. in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.
The press conference will be broadcast live online.
You can participate using the following link:
us02web.zoom.us/j/85996560542?
Speak it Carla Hinrichs, Chiara Malz and Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim. It's about the protests from September 13.09th. in Berlin. You will find out what is planned - there will be more details, especially for the first week.
After 20 minutes of posts from our site, you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
This will also be possible via Zoom, but we ask for your understanding that questions from press representatives present on site have priority.
Date: 8.9.2023
Time: 10 pm
Location: In front of the Federal Chancellery,
Willy-Brandt-StraĂźe 1, 10557 Berlin
Dial-in data for the Zoom conference:
- link: us02web.zoom.us/j/
85996560542? Pwd = YkRKNVlvalJUQXAxem1sUUsvTzd4QT 09 - Meeting ID: 859 9656 0542
- Identification code: 803682
- Quick dial-in mobile
+496950502596,,85996560542#,,,,*803682# Germany
+496971049922,,85996560542#,,,,*803682# Germany
With kind regards,
the Last Generation press team
Invitation press conference
Protest announcement in front of the Federal Chancellery
Dear press representatives,
We hereby remind you once again of tomorrow Press conference on Friday, September 8.9.2023th, 10, at XNUMX a.m. in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.
The press conference will be broadcast live online.
You can participate using the following link:
us02web.zoom.us/j/85996560542?
Speak it Carla Hinrichs, Chiara Malz and Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim. It's about the protests from September 13.09th. in Berlin. You will find out what is planned - there will be more details, especially for the first week.
After 20 minutes of posts from our site, you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
This will also be possible via Zoom, but we ask for your understanding that questions from press representatives present on site have priority.
Date: 8.9.2023
Time: 10 pm
Location: In front of the Federal Chancellery,
Willy-Brandt-StraĂźe 1, 10557 Berlin
Dial-in data for the Zoom conference:
- link: us02web.zoom.us/j/
85996560542? Pwd = YkRKNVlvalJUQXAxem1sUUsvTzd4QT 09 - Meeting ID: 859 9656 0542
- Identification code: 803682
- Quick dial-in mobile
+496950502596,,85996560542#,,,,*803682# Germany
+496971049922,,85996560542#,,,,*803682# Germany
With kind regards,
the Last Generation press team
Kicks and punches during a protest march in Mannheim
Mannheim, September 07.09.2023th, 13, 30:XNUMX p.m. - During a Last Generation protest march in Mannheim yesterday evening, Last Generation supporters were kicked several times and punched in the face by a driver.
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation, explains:
"The federal government has ignored our protest for so long that scenes like yesterday's in Mannheim have now occurred. This saddens and shocks us. We are continuing our peaceful protests against the federal government's unconstitutional course towards climate hell."
The protest march took place last night as a slow walking demonstration on the B36, when at 20:00 p.m. drivers who had been driving slowly behind the demonstration stopped and attacked the demonstrators. They sat down to show their peacefulness and to avoid injuries from being pushed. The attacks followed, which are documented in this video:
twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/
drive.google.com/file/d/
on Marienplatz in Munich – visibly pleased.
More pictures below this Link.
Munich, September 07.09.2023th, 12, 00:XNUMX p.m – There are currently 29 supporters of the Last Generation sitting in Bavarian prisons because they drew attention to the government’s climate failure with peaceful sit-ins. Not because they have been legally convicted of a crime, but because the legal basis of the Bavarian anti-terror law is being used to lock up the people in question and prevent them from further protests.
The absurdity: In the end, all proceedings against the Last Generation supporters could end in acquittals, as a current judgment from Freiburg shows.
Just yesterday, two Last Generation supporters were acquitted for sit-ins in Freiburg. According to the court's assessment, this form of protest does not constitute criminal behavior.
"We are Isabelle and Felicia and we were acquitted here in Freiburg today. For exactly the same form of protest for which 29 people in Bavaria are currently in prison. In Freiburg it was shown today that our form of protest is entirely legitimate.", says Felicia (22), who was acquitted in court today, said in a statement after the trial.
"For me, this judgment shows that politicians must now take action, take responsibility and definitely take action. We will soon be fighting for this in Berlin. Be there and help us achieve the turning point.” said her colleague Elizabeth (47) continue.
How arbitrary and chaotic people act here in Bavaria can also be seen in which people are locked away and for how long. The first person is locked up for 30 days, the second is released after a few hours, even though they were sitting next to each other on the street.
Today, supporters of the last generation are making this arbitrariness public. Disguised as Markus Söder and Joachim Herrmann, they stand on Marienplatz in Munich and let passers-by spin a wheel of fortune. The wheel of fortune tells passers-by how long they would be locked up for protests for more climate protection.
"As long as I am Prime Minister of Bavaria, I will pass on the conflict with the people who are calling on me to protect their livelihoods to the police and judiciary. Because there is now complete chaos there and regular procedures take too long, we in Bavaria now decide how long people will be locked up using a wheel of fortune.“, he reveals Markus Söder Disguised supporters of the Last Generation.
“Policewoman pours oil on demonstrators”
– further details about the incident on September 02.09.2023nd, XNUMX in Mannheim –
Sit-in blockade in Mannheim, Konrad Adenauer Bridge.
Policewoman pours vegetable oil on protester.
Photo: Last generation
Mannheim, September 06.09.2023th, 12, 30:XNUMX p.m – A video goes viral in which a policewoman in Mannheim pours vegetable oil from a canister over the head of a Last Generation supporter during a sit-in. [1] Now the last generation is publishing a longer video about it [2]. In this press release we document reports of experiences with this police officer, including in the subsequent police custody.
On the situation on the street during the sit-in:
In order to protest against the government's breach of the constitution in the climate catastrophe and to draw attention to the fact that several dozen supporters of the Last Generation are currently in long-term detention in Bavaria, supporters of the Last Generation protested with a sit-in in Mannheim on September 02.09.2023nd, XNUMX . Several people stuck their hands to the asphalt with superglue on the Konrad Adenauer Bridge.
All of the following statements refer to the police officer seen in the video pouring oil over the head of a protester (hereinafter: “the officer”). After arriving at the meeting place on the Konrad-Adenauer-Brücke, the officer first collected tubes of glue.
Mario Hess reports: “While collecting the glue, the officer also collected a cold spray. When I said that this was needed to cool the hand that was glued so that no injuries were caused to the hand, she just said: 'I don't care, it's your own fault, you also glued yourself!'“
Benjamin Schuler explained: "A police officer gave us cold spray and said, 'If you're in pain, you can use it.' The officer intervened and said: 'What's the point now?' The police officer replied: 'It stays put, they are in pain.' She replied: 'They should be in pain, it's their own fault.'“
In order to remove the hands from the asphalt with as little injury as possible, the police use vegetable oil that is applied to the hands and then carefully loosen the hands little by little after a period of exposure. The police officer showers several of the sit-blockers with this vegetable oil. A firefighter then hands those affected paper towels to wipe off. The scene is documented in video [2].
Sabina G. reports: “In preparation for the release, she poured an extra generous amount of oil onto my arm, leaving me sitting in a large pool of oil and disinfectant the entire time."
Stefan Diefenbach Trommer reports: “She poured disinfectant on my hand and pants without any warning. Then she tore my fingers off the asphalt.”
Sabine G. further reports: “She wanted to search my backpack, I explained that I couldn't take it off because my hand was glued to it. Then, without warning, she yanked three times so hard that I screamed in pain. I then explained to her again that I couldn't take off the backpack. Then she said: 'Yes, it's your own fault, you should have thought about that before you got stuck.' She then ripped the zippers, causing my things to fall out."
On the situation in police custody:
All those blocking the sit-ins were taken to the Mannheim police headquarters. In the back yard is the low-rise building with the detention cells. Brown tiles, many cells smell of urine, the air is stale, some cells have a toilet hole in the floor.
Susan Flender reports: “The officer wanted to start the strip search on me with the door still open; a second colleague was there who was visibly uncomfortable. The door was then closed. Smiling request: 'Take off your clothes.' Breasts raised. Then: 'Pants!' I asked for my top and then we moved on. Discussion about underpants with the sanitary pads in them, also searched. When I wanted to put them back on, my butt cheeks were pulled apart. Everything is very humiliating, taciturn and malicious. Only the other colleague responded to my objection that none of this was necessary."
Jana Trommer, qualified psychologist/child therapist reports: “I was supposed to take off my dress in the hallway at the police station. Then she searched me naked in the cell alone and I had to stand on the bed with my legs apart without my underwear. Another activist was then supposed to undress in my presence, all in all quite degrading. "
Sabine G. reported: "At the police station, the officer greeted me and another with the words: 'Well, which of the princesses do we want to treat first?' Both of my arms were full of oil and I asked to be allowed to wipe myself, was put off in the cell, but that was no longer possible. I had to undress myself piece by piece for the strip search in the cell next to another activist (a young policewoman was also present). Then I didn't want to take off my underwear, saying that it was degrading and that I would be ashamed. Then she tore off my underwear herself; I found this very humiliating.
And because I didn't want her to cut the ties on my pants, I had to sit in the cell without pants, i.e. in my briefs. Male officers also saw me half-naked in the cell. For example, an officer from the KDD (permanent criminal service) came in to pick up another inmate. Only after the shift change in the evening did the officer realize that there was obviously no reason why I wouldn't get my pants back and gave me my pants back."
Raul Semmler, Last Generation Rhine-Neckar, explains: “So far we have had good contact with the police in Mannheim. We would be happy to talk to everyone involved in the operation."
[1] twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1698988386965434482?s=20
[2] twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1699370145179693426?s=20
Sit-in blockade of the last generation on September 02.09.2023nd, XNUMX in Mannheim,
before vegetable oil was thrown over the demonstrators by the police officer
is poured in the middle of the picture. Photo: Last generation
Dear press representatives,
We hereby invite you to our Press conference on Friday, September 8.9.2023th, 10, at XNUMX a.m. in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.
Speak it Carla Hinrichs, Police Chief Inspector Chiara Malz and Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim. It's about the protests from September 13.09th. in Berlin. You will find out what is planned - there will be more details, especially for the first week.
The climate catastrophe is escalating and the window of opportunity to act is closing. The last generation sees our society at a turning point in autumn 2023. From September 13.9th Hundreds of us will come to Berlin to initiate the necessary political change that has already been delayed for far too long: Away from fossil fuels - towards fairness!
After 20 minutes of posts from our site, you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Date: 8.9.2023
Time: 10 pm
Location: In front of the Federal Chancellery,
Willy-Brandt-StraĂźe 1, 10557 Berlin
With kind regards,
the Last Generation press team
Statement: Arbitrariness and lack of proportionality in Bavaria
The judiciary will not resolve the conflict with politics
It is a complete mess that is emerging in the Free State of Bavaria, especially when it comes to dealing with the last generation before the tipping points.
Last November, the Bavarian Interior Ministry under Joachim Herrmann had to publicly justify its decision to lock peaceful protesters behind bars for several weeks. Today there are 27 citizens in the Stadelheim and Memmingen JVA.
In some cases even 30 days are ordered. Those 30 days that Bavaria's anti-terror law makes possible, and about which Joachim Herrmann said last year after great public outrage: “Detention for 30 days must continue to be the absolute exception in the future.” Do you still remember, Mr. Herrmann?
But let us not only ask ourselves what has happened since then and why peaceful citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble are now being locked up.
What we are currently seeing is a form of chaos and arbitrariness being used against our protest in Bavaria. Sometimes a road blockade by the police is seen as a gathering, which is then calmly broken up, and in other places people are pulled off the street as if car traffic were the greatest asset that needs to be protected in our society.
Some people are accused of coercion and resistance and others are told that their behavior is just an administrative offense. Some are released from police custody straight away and others are brought before a judge and sent to prison for 30 days. Mind you, even if they were sitting next to each other on the same street at the same time on the same day. One person is reported twice because of their protest and another is not reported at all. Police officers search in vain for a protester in the prison collection center who had recently been released by colleagues and dismiss this with a comment like: “Oh, she’ll be back tomorrow anyway.”
And no, we don't want to blame the police or the courts for whatever it may sound like here.
What we condemn is that politicians are not living up to their responsibilities in the climate crisis. Instead of taking responsibility and dealing with the causes of the protest and thus with their own transgressions, they allow the police and judiciary to condemn and lock up disruptive protests in a way that is unworthy of a constitutional state.
This irresponsibility of politics will inevitably lead us to climate catastrophe.
It is also becoming increasingly clear: this strategy of Bavarian politics is failing.
Determined people who have decided to stand up for their basic rights will not let detention and punishment stop them from protesting in the long term.
Mr. Söder, our protest is aimed at you! The protests in Bavaria cannot be dealt with by the police and judiciary. You can see for yourself: This backfires. You cannot avoid dealing with the reasons for our protest.
“It’s a beautiful, perfect world here – how much longer?” is written on our banners.
Anyone whose car windows have been smashed by hailstones the size of tennis balls and whose everyday life has been turned upside down by floods and extreme weather in recent weeks can answer the question for themselves.
Bayern is currently repeating the embarrassment of last autumn. Especially now, in view of the climate crisis that is becoming visible today, it is time for politicians to face up to their responsibility and stop outsourcing the conflict to the police and judiciary.
updates:
Supporters of the last generation are currently demonstrating with a protest march in downtown Munich and are surrounded by the police on Maxburgstrasse. Jesuit Father Jörg Alt is also among the protesters. The protesters are carrying tennis balls as a reminder of the devastating storm in Bavaria a week ago. Hailstones the size of tennis balls destroyed houses and cars and killed numerous animals - extreme weather is becoming more frequent in the climate catastrophe.
15 Last Generation supporters were taken into custody after sit-ins yesterday, 12 of whom were released yesterday. Three other people were held in police custody overnight in Munich. The presentation to the magistrate is scheduled to take place this morning in order to decide on the requested preventive custody. One of the people is Kai Arne Springorum. The father of four who confronted Markus Söder yesterday in the beer tent on the Gillamoos.
Supporters of the last generation this morning in Munich
Downtown. The tennis balls are used to combat the devastating hail
remembered a week ago. Photo last generation
There are currently 27 Last Generation supporters in prisons in Bavaria because they protested for compliance with the constitution. They are available for interviews by telephone, letter or visit to the prison. Please feel free to contact us directly.
Munich prison, Stadelheimer StraĂźe 12, 81549 Munich
Telephone: (089) 69922-0; Fax: (089) 69922-490
Postal address: PO Box 90 06 55; 81506 Munich
E-mail: [email protected]
Women's section:
Schwarzenbergstrasse 14, 1549 Munich
Telephone: (089) 6202 198-0; Fax: (089) 6202 198-105
You can find photos of the detainees in this folder © Marlene Charlotte Limburg
Söder's election campaign tour interrupted
– further detentions after traffic blockades –
Supporters of the last generation confront Söder with
that only six new wind turbines were built in Bavaria this year
were built, but 27 climate activists were in preventive detention
sitting in Bavaria. More pictures below this Link.
Munich, September 4.9.2023, 11, 15:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the Last Generation once again confronted Markus Söder on his election campaign tour today. While he and Friedrich Merz tried to promote themselves and their politics in a beer tent in Abensberg, citizens put on high-visibility vests and ensured that the climate catastrophe became an issue that could be ignored by no matter how much sugarcoating and empty speech There is no getting around promises.
Kai Arne Springorum (51), geologist and energy efficiency consultant and father of four children, stood in front of the stage, also put on a high-visibility vest and addressed Markus Söder directly:
"How many hailstones the size of tennis balls still have to fall on their population so that they take action on climate protection and not just promise it? How can it be that Bavaria is now locking up more than four times as many climate demonstrators in front of the IAA as they manage to build wind turbines in a year? Mr. Söder, you promised 4 wind turbines and have only built 1.000 this year. You are the man of big words and small actions. What is better protected in Bavaria: car shows or our livelihoods?"
Since the evening of September 1st, a total of 27 Last Generation supporters have been in preventive detention in Bavaria because they have repeatedly protested peacefully for compliance with the constitution. Preventive detention was granted for different periods of time depending on the judge in charge at the time, even though the facts of the case were the same for all those affected. In some cases, the maximum limit of 30 days in prison was exhausted by September 30.09.2023, 10.09.2023; for most, preventative detention is planned until September 12.09.2023, XNUMX or even until September XNUMX, XNUMX.
This morning traffic blockades with at least 15 protesters took place again in three places in Munich. Those involved in this protest will probably also be brought before a judge today, who will decide whether they will spend the next few weeks in preventative detention.
Wolfgang Metzler kick, who took part in the traffic blockades in Munich this morning, explains: “As long as Mr. Söder's response to the climate catastrophe is to set up a wind turbine every few months and imprison those who honestly and unignorably say that this is not enough to protect our livelihoods, visible, disruptive protest remains essential."
Traffic blockade by supporters of the last generation,
despite the threat of preventive detention this morning in Munich.
Photo: Last generation
The number of people in preventive detention almost doubled
– 27 people in preventive detention for up to 30 days –
Munich, September 02.09.2023th, 09, 00:XNUMX p.m – Since late yesterday evening, the number of Last Generation supporters who were taken into preventive detention in Bavaria has almost doubled. This increases from 14 people to 27. Two women are sent to prison for 30 days - the Bavarian Police Duties Act (PAG) allows this. The rest until at least the end of next week will take place at the IAA on September 10.09th.
Carla Rochel, Press Spokesperson of Last Generation explains: “The question we as a society have to ask ourselves at this moment is: Do we think it is okay that protest for all of our basic right to life is met with prison instead of climate protection?"
Just last week, almost 60 constitutional lawyers supported the Last Generation by making it clear that the federal government is obliged by the constitution to pursue effective climate protection. [1]
Instead of the government taking the protesters' already constitutionally compelling concerns seriously, so many of them are now being taken into preventative detention that some of them had to be transferred to the Memmingen JVA because the Stadelheim JVA is full.
The detentions are not the result of a regular court process with the taking of evidence. Instead, the people concerned are briefly brought before a judge. “It's a matter of 10 minutes!” Ronja Künkler tells us about her lawyer. Ronja was taken into preventive detention on August 29.08.23, XNUMX.
The current status of detentions is as follows:
Stadelheim Prison:
Miriam until September 30.09th
Solvig until September 30.09th
Micah until September 12.09th
Lars R until September 12.09th
Judith until September 12.09th
Ronja until September 12.09th
Seriously until September 12.09th.
Arne until September 12.09th
Svenja until September 12.09th
Winfried until September 12.09th
Anja until September 12.09th
Luke until September 10.09th
Maike until 10.9.
Julian until 10.9.
Regina until 10.9.
Lorenz until 10.9.
Simon until 10.9.
Christian until September 10.9th
Lennart until 10.9.
Luke until 10.9.
Merita until 10.9.
Jördis until 10.9.
Ruben until 10.9.
Yannick until September 10.09th
Memmingen Prison:
Maya until September 10.09th
Myrna until 10.9.
Lio until September 10.09th
[1] verfassungsblog.de/fur-eine-volker-und-constitutional-rights-compliant-climate-protection-policy/
Up to 30 days of preventive detention for Vesecurity guards
The scientists taking part in the rally
shake hands with the protesters in the police cauldron, August 31.8.2023, XNUMX
(c) Last generation
Images available for download here.
Munich, September 1.9.2023th, 8, 30:XNUMX p.m – Almost 60 constitutional and international law experts emphasize in an open letter [1] published yesterday that the concerns of the Last Generation protests are completely justified. The federal government violates the constitution when it does not adequately protect our livelihoods - this has now been officially confirmed.
On the same day, 4 people are detained without due process for up to 30 days to prevent them from continuing their protest. This not only contradicts the Bavarian Interior Minister's promise from December 2022. He said that the extended detention against climate activists would only be used in exceptional cases.
The now imprisoned people of the last generation have been protesting with over 70 other people in Bavaria for over two weeks - against a scientifically proven breach of the constitution. Exactly where the Basic Law was created 75 years ago and where the climate failure is greatest today.
In Bavaria there are double standards: Hailstones the size of tennis balls threaten crops and houses, killing whoever and whatever gets in their way. [2] Politicians only rain appeasing words on this. At the same time, peaceful protesters are going to prison for a month without a sentence because reassuring words are no longer enough for them and they are demanding that the population be protected from extreme events like these.
Instead of the inconvenient truth that was announced yesterday by constitutional experts - “The Last Generation Right” - to recognize and stand up for the values ​​of the constitution, real climate protection is still being denied and people are working hard to put protest that puts their finger in the wound behind bars.
The following are currently in the Stadelheim JVA for their peaceful protest:
Until 30.9.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX
- Solvig Schinkothe ​​(43), Magdeburg, master's degree in psychology, mother
Until 12.9.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX
- Winfried Lorenz (64), Berlin, former print shop owner
- Arne GroĂźelindemann (27), Berlin, neurobiology student
- Ernst Hörmann (73), Freising, mechanical engineer and grandfather of 8 grandchildren
- Svenja Schraut (19), Passau, student
- Micha Frey (25), Passau, bartender
- Ronja KĂĽnkler (24), Regensburg, musician
- Judith Beadle (43), Berlin, communication designer and mother of 2 daughters
- Lars Ritter (20), Leizig, high school graduate
- Anja Windl (26), born and raised in Lower Bavaria, psychology student
Until 10.9.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX
- Luke Beuning (25), Cologne, trained educator
- Maike Grunst (22), Leipzig
- Lorenz Schweizer (20), Nuremberg, student teacher
- Regina Stephan (21), Berlin, medical student, works in intensive care
The last generation sees our society at a turning point in autumn 2023. We are fighting peacefully for a better future and will continue to protest in Bavaria.
Imprisonment as a way out of our protest is an expression of the insane clinging to the path to global climate chaos with catastrophic consequences. But the Last Generation will not accept this madness without resistance. More and more people are joining us to protect our rights, freedoms and values. The Last Generation is on the side of the constitution.
[1] For a climate protection policy that complies with international and constitutional law - Constitutional Blog
[2] Skull fractures and a coup de grâce: How the hail hit wild animals | BR24
Faith representatives stand behind Last Generation
– Action for Bavaria – Action for our Common Home –
Road blockade with faith representatives behind us
(c) Last generation
Images available for download here.
Munich, September 1.9.2023th, 12, 20:XNUMX p.m - Today's World Day of Prayer for the Preservation of Creation is an opportunity for representatives of faith to express their solidarity with the last generation and to stand behind the road blockade currently taking place in Munich. Above their heads they hold signs that read: “No and Amen – No to the destruction of livelihoods, yes to the Climate Society Council”. They particularly highlight the catastrophic consequences of ever-escalating global warming that are already affecting people around the world.
One of those involved is Dr. Pedro Walpole SJ. He has worked for many years as Director of Research at the Institute of Environmental Science for Social Change in the Philippines. From there he coordinates the global platform ECOJESUIT, an association of all Jesuit works and people who are committed to climate change, environmental issues and species protection.
At their last annual meeting in the Philippines, delegates from this group adopted a declaration of solidarity with the protests in Bavaria under the motto “Action for Bavaria, Action for our Common Home”, which is published on the occasion of today's protest. [1]
Also on the street is Andrea Rückert (52), Protestant pastor from Munich. She explains why she stands behind the supporters of the last generation today: “For me, the credibility of the church is at stake if we only talk about peace, justice and the preservation of creation, instead of making a decisive commitment to it.”
The school where she teaches has a partnership with a girls' high school in Tanzania. Andrea Rückert reports: “We hear directly from our partners what effects the climate crisis is already having there. For example, a teacher friend told me that everything in her fields dried up last year because the rainy season basically stopped. So they had no harvest at all.”
She emphasizes: “For me, it is a question of conscience to point out publicly and unmistakably that millions of people are already suffering from the consequences of the climate catastrophe. “To point out that we are in a dramatic situation on the verge of irreversible climate tipping points.”
Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski points out Article 20a in the Basic Law,
while together with supporters of the last generation
is in the police box. (c) Last generation
Images available for download here.
Munich, September 31.08.2023th, 13, 25:XNUMX p.m – The Basic Law obliges the government to take sufficient measures to prevent a climate catastrophe. For this belief, the supporters of the Last Generation have been risking imprisonment, criminal convictions and detention for a year and a half - as is currently the case in Bavaria. This view has now been officially confirmed by 60 experts in the constitution and international law.
The professors from all over Germany have signed a corresponding open letter, which was published today on the “Verfassungsblog”. [1] One of the most important German-language platforms for specialist constitutional law topics.
The signatories include, among others Prof. Dr. Dr. hc mult. Susanne Baer, Appointed as a constitutional judge in Karlsruhe until February 2023, Prof. Dr. Dr. Felix Ekardt and Prof. Dr. Remo Klinger both complainants in the landmark 2021 climate judgment as well Prof. Dr. Anna Katharina Mangold, University of Flensburg Professor of European and International Law at the University of Flensburg.
Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski, holder of the chair for public law and international law at the University of Nuremberg, is one of the initiators of the letter. Today he took part in a rally at the Victory Gate in Munich together with scientists from other disciplines and supporters.
"The 'Last Generation' is right when it says that the federal government is obliged by the constitution to take climate protection measures. To do this, it would have to adopt an adequate climate protection program with effective measures to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If it doesn't do this, it would mean: the federal government is breaking the constitution.“, he summarizes the constitutional situation.
During the course of this rally, sit-ins arose at the Siegestor. The supporters of the last generation are simply no longer prepared to watch the federal government violate its duty to protect the climate, which has now been confirmed by constitutional experts. In addition to their usual banners, they held bound versions of the Basic Law in their hands.
[1] verfassungsblog.de/fur-eine-
Tennis ball hail on the Bavarian state parliament & further preventive detention
– Climate crisis cannot be locked away –
Last Generation supporters protest
again in Munich, (c) Last generation.
High resolution images here.
Munich, September 30.08.2023, 14, 40:XNUMX a.m - Supporters of the last generation wearing orange high-visibility vests let tennis balls dipped in white paint crash against the doors of the Bavarian state government.
The protest is a response to the current devastating storms with hailstones the size of tennis balls in Bavaria and to denounce the Bavarian government for failing to prevent future horror scenarios.
The Bavarian government's reaction obviously has a different color: Yesterday, more supporters of the Last Generation were taken into preventative detention, so that a total of nine people are now in police custody until September 12.9.2023, XNUMX.
Miriam Meyer takes part in the protest at the Bavarian state parliament:
"Prime Minister Söder should try to block the hailstones the size of tennis balls. The climate catastrophe cannot be ended through preventive detention of peaceful protesters, but only through decisive action. In his election campaign, Söder claims “yes to climate protection”, but in reality he is working every day to make Bavaria the German champion in climate failure."
She goes on to say: “While the climate catastrophe strikes in Bavaria and hailstones the size of tennis balls destroy 80 percent of a city, Söder promises help for those affected during the election campaign, but he doesn't waste a single word about his climate-killing policies and what his contribution will be to stopping the catastrophic development towards climate hell."
In the last few days there has been rainfall in the Allgäu and the southwestern foothills of the Alps that only occurs every 50 to 100 years. A disaster was declared in the town of Bad Bayersoien because severe damage was caused by hailstones the size of tennis balls. [1 ] Extreme storms, such as those in Bavaria in the last few days, are becoming more likely due to the climate catastrophe and rising temperatures [2]. According to a survey from May 2023, the municipalities in Bavaria cannot take appropriate climate protection measures because they lack the financial resources to do so [3].
The last generation traffic blockades in Munich will continue beyond September 13.09.2021th, XNUMX. The threat of further preventive detention will not stop us from drawing attention to the fact that politicians have clearly still not grasped the magnitude and irreversibility of the climate crisis.
[1] www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2023-08/bad-bayersoien-bayern-unwetter-katastrophenfall
[2]
www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/klimawandel/weltweite-temperaturen-extremwetterprojekte-seit#Chronik
[3] www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/bayern/br-extremwetter-bayerns-kommunen-koennen-massnahme-kaum-umstellen-102.html
Preventive detention and announcement of further protests in Munich
Last Generation supporters are protesting again
in Munich, (c) Last generation.
Nevertheless, traffic blockades are currently taking place again in Munich, including on federal highway 2R. The disruption to everyday life is part of a series of extreme storms that hit Bavaria this week and interrupted the everyday lives of many.
So far, everyone involved in protests has generally been released after their personal details have been recorded. As of this morning, another 17 Last Generation supporters are now in police custody. Apparently the police have now changed their previous strategy in dealing with the Last Generation protests in Munich and are applying for preventive detention.
Lilly Gomez, which had already protested peacefully in Munich this morning, comments: “We have been protesting in Bavaria for over two weeks now, even though Mr. Söder had threatened us with the “full severity of the rule of law.” The storms in Bavaria are coming thick and fast: That's why we can't be stopped from raising the alarm on the streets during this crisis. We will continue our protests in Bavaria during the IAA and beyond August 13.08.2023, XNUMX. Bavaria has laws to lock us up for our peaceful protest, but this morning I was let go straight away. To me it feels like a toothless tiger that I won't be intimidated by."
Gomez explains further: “In Bavaria there have been hailstones of ice the size of tennis balls in the last few days. We took to the streets with the question “It's a beautiful, perfect world here - how much longer?” Now we see how this world is already being destroyed by storms today. Storms that are becoming more frequent and stronger with the climate catastrophe.”
The Last Generation announces that it will continue its protests beyond the date set by the police on August 13.08.2023, XNUMX and during the IAA in Bavaria.
have colored RWE's corporate headquarters orange. (c) Last generation
Essen, August 28.08.2023, 13, 40:XNUMX p.m – After today Dr. Christopher Sappok was brought to justice for protesting against the federal government's climate failure at RWE headquarters, Last Generation supporters have just repeated this protest. Their message: “While university lecturers are treated like criminals, we continue our protest against the real criminals!”
Lina Eichler and Malte Nierobisch, among others, took part in today's protest. Both were also present at the protests for which Sappok was sentenced today.
Malte Nierobisch and a colleague soaked the facade of the RWE headquarters in orange paint Lina Eichler stood in front of it and made the following statement:
"Of course we are here again, because the RWE company is still killing. Today a decision will be made in Munich as to whether several last-generation constitutional protection officers will have to spend several weeks in custody in a prison.
This injustice screams to heaven! Judges who judge us as if we were criminals, corporations who put their profit interests above the livelihoods of future generations. We're not taking part in this anymore! We resist! Together with you from September 13.09th. in Berlin!"
Dr. Christopher Sappok, who teaches as a lecturer at the University of Cologne, was today sentenced to 150 daily rates of €60 each for two similar color protests. This results in a total fine of €9000. A significantly lower sentence than the 8-month suspended prison sentence that the public prosecutor's office had threatened in its sentencing order. Nevertheless, the court is clearly punishing the protesters here, rather than a corporation that shamelessly abuses its social power in order to continue destroying our common livelihood. Even the federal government, which violates its constitution, gets off scot-free.
Other citizens do not want to accept this social imbalance, which may be compatible with a very superficial reading of the criminal code, but violates every conceivable idea of ​​morality and justice. They have announced road blockades in Essen for today.
" 'The state also has responsibility for future generations to protect the natural foundations of life and animals within the framework of the constitutional order through legislation and, in accordance with the law and law, through executive power and jurisprudence.'
Let's take this article for what it is from a linguistic point of view: a declarative sentence. A statement can usually be assigned a so-called truth value: true or false. And this sentence here is clearly wrong. The state does not protect the natural basis of life for future generations. The actions for which I am on trial here are reactions to this fact."
With these words Dr. Christopher Sappok explain his actions in court today. The risk of a prison sentence for the father of four is real. It was just yesterday Kevin Hecht released from the prison in Cottbus. The 31-year-old computer scientist spent 29 days in custody there. Shortly after his release he said in a video statement:
"It's been frustrating to realize that I'm in custody and the real criminals on earth are just walking around free.
It was a hard time. No question. But it was still necessary to send a clear signal - to politicians. Because action must be taken. We need climate protection that actually achieves something and not just sugarcoating. We need consistent government action now."
Marcus Decker is also currently serving a prison sentence. The German citizen is to spend 2 years and 7 months in an English prison for peacefully protesting against the expansion of British oil fields in the North Sea. It is one of the longest prison sentences ever handed out to peaceful climate activists in the UK. After his imprisonment ends, he is also threatened with deportation to Germany.
Traffic blockades against the government's violation of the constitution
in the morning rush hour in Munich
Last Generation supporters are protesting this morning
in Munich, (c) Last generation.
Munich, August 29.08.2023, 08, 00:7 a.m. - The peaceful traffic blockades in Munich have continued since 30:96 a.m. today. Traffic into the city is also affected, among other things, from exits on the Autobahn 2, as well as exits from the federal highway XNUMXR, which runs as a ring road within the urban area of ​​Munich, and also directly from blockades in various places, including on Schlüsselbergstrasse.
Some supporters of the last generation now carry cardboard signs with them that read: “Gluing ban – €3000 for my children’s future? Bargain!” and thus draw attention to the current general order of the city of Munich, which obviously cannot prevent the peaceful protests. [1]
Micha Frey, who is taking part in today’s peaceful sit-ins at Petuelring, explains: “I take to the streets of Munich every day because our basic rights will no longer be guaranteed in a world that is 3-4 degrees hot. Our government is already not adhering to the law and is postponing the urgently needed climate protection measures until the future. It is essential to develop and implement socially just measures now, because the braking distance on the expressway to climate hell is long."
Further explained Micha Frey"Our government is currently failing to initiate and implement the most important steps. It is time for the government to finally convene a climate council. The social council can find good political solutions for the entire population and also ensure the necessary support among the population. "
Yesterday there were at least nine last generation traffic blockades in Munich throughout the day. The last ones took place at around 17 p.m. on Leopold Strasse and from 18 p.m. on Bayerstrasse at the corner of Schillerstrasse. After a personal recording, the blockers will be released. Many then go straight into a new sit-in.
During yesterday's sit-ins, demonstrators were dragged along on the hood of a car. The driver then tried to throw them off by quickly backing and forwarding the car [2]. In various places, protesters were pulled off the streets by passers-by and car drivers. In addition to the focus of the protest in Munich, traffic blockades also took place yesterday in Göttingen, Hamburg, Bonn and Esslingen.
Background: Breach of law and constitution in the climate catastrophe
In the current debate as to whether the federal government is acting illegally and unconstitutionally, arguments are being made at different levels: the goals of the KSG are insufficient and therefore unconstitutional, the “performance gap” makes the specific climate protection plans illegal because it means that the law is not implemented. In addition, it is constitutionally questionable due to the “intertemporal freedom” required by the Federal Constitutional Court. [3] The Federal Constitutional Court chose this formulation in its climate protection ruling to describe the problem that future generations will be burdened above average if necessary restrictions are postponed into the future. [4]
To date, the constitutional requirements for appropriate action in the face of the climate catastrophe have not been legally enforced Prof. Thomas Groß summarizes: “The judiciary has so far only used the constitutional obligation to counteract global warming to justify measures that have already been decided or to demand clarification on the target level.
This strategy respects the political discretion of parliaments and governments. However, it presupposes that they take sufficiently seriously the need for concrete measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which was clearly formulated in the justification for the climate protection decision. However, as the reports from the Climate Expert Council and recent developments show, this is not the case at the federal level. Most federal states and municipalities are also not doing enough to advance climate protection at the required speed."[5]
[1] stadt.muenchen.de/infos/
[2]
twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/
[3]
www.fr.de/politik/deutsches-
www.agora-verkehrswende.de/
[4]
www.Federal Constitutional Court.
[5]
verfassungsblog.de/zwei-jahre-
Prize for Civil Courage awarded to Last Generation
Lars Werner and Lina Eichler at the award ceremony
of the €5000 prize in Hameln.
(c) Last generation.
The Last Generation was awarded the Solbach Freise Foundation's Prize for Civil Courage at the weekend. The €5000 prize honors courage and commitment to the common good. Lina Eichler and Lars Werner accepted the award on Saturday evening in Hameln on behalf of all citizens involved in the Last Generation.
Lars Werner said at the award ceremony: “We knew that we would face a lot of backlash if we protested in this way. At the same time, it is all the more intense and beautiful when we are shown understanding and appreciation for what we do."
Lina Eichler agreed: “An award like the one presented to us here today offers incredible support. A sign of “You are not alone, we have your back”. This thought warms my heart and gives me great encouragement!"
Another blockade in the Bavarian capital
Protests in the Free State against the federal government's unconstitutional actions are entering their third week
Last generation supporters
protesting in Munich this morning,
(c) Last generation.
Munich, September 28.08.2023, 07, 30:XNUMX a.m - After supporters of the Last Generation drew attention to the government's violation of Article 20a of the Basic Law with almost a dozen traffic blockades last Friday, this week also starts with peaceful protests in downtown Munich. It is now the third week that the protests in the Free State have been going on.
"We have managed to transform Bavaria and especially Munich from a no-go area for protests into a true protest stronghold. There is no longer any way for politicians to protest against the loss of our fundamental rights in the place where they were first formulated 75 years ago”, shows up Lena Mair (25) satisfied.
As before in Nuremberg, this weekend it once again became abundantly clear how necessary the last generation's protest is before the tipping points. At least 12 people were injured in severe storms with hail. A further escalation of such extreme events, which are already becoming more violent and frequent due to the climate catastrophe, could soon be unavoidable.
"Since the promised climate goals are not being met and we are just running out of time by hesitating and waiting, there is no alternative to our blockages in order to work for future generations. A council of society to support our government in complying with the law is becoming increasingly essential”, sums up Winfried Lorenz (64) summarizes the political situation in Germany, which is driving older and young people onto the streets.
The failure was also confirmed last week by an expert council on the federal government's climate goals: Overall, the Climate Protection Act "does not meet the requirements for a climate protection program in the Climate Protection Act", although the expert council sees the biggest problems in the transport sector. [1]
Supporters of the last generation on stage
of the Snapdragon Mobile Brawl Stars Challenge Finals
at Gamescom. (c) Last generation.
One of those involved Lasse Schulz (24) explained his protest today like this: “The same people who still wonder whether first-person shooters will turn you into a gunman are still in the executive suites of our country, making profits from coal, oil and gas while questioning the climate crisis. The government, which actually has a climate protection law that it should adhere to, is simply ignoring it and even giving these people billions in tax money. End result: A small minority becomes incredibly rich, and people in the global south pay with their lives as weather disasters predictably get worse."
Malte Nierobisch (20), who is also involved in the protest, emphasizes: “I'm an e-sports fan myself, so I can understand very well if people are pissed off by our protest today. But this is about millions of lives that our government is sacrificing for more oil, gas and coal and I have to protest against that. And best of all on the big stages of this country!"
The 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found unmistakable words for the fork in the road that we as humanity are currently at: “The window of opportunity in which a livable and sustainable future can be secured for everyone is rapidly closing. […] The decisions made and actions taken in this decade will have an impact now and for thousands of years.” [1]
This year, Gamescom is once again promoting climate protection under the motto “Green is the new game”. Among other things, visitors can purchase a green ticket for an additional charge when purchasing the admission ticket. The money will be used to reforest a mixed forest near Bayreuth. [2]
Leave Schulz explains: “As nice as it would be, the climate catastrophe is not something that will be solved if you pay a small surcharge when you buy a ticket and a tree is planted somewhere in return. We need a fundamental political change of course, a 'climate chancellor' who keeps his word. The catastrophes that otherwise await us will affect everyone in everyday life, which is why we are taking our protest exactly there: in everyday life, where it cannot be ignored."
The orange powder used for the protest was commercial Holi powder.
Sit-ins again despite the threat of preventive detention
Supporters of the last generation protest in Munich
with a sit-in (c) Last generation.
Munich, September 25.08.2023th, 9, 50:XNUMX p.m – After supporters of the last generation peacefully blocked streets in Munich several times yesterday, the traffic blockades will continue today. This morning, citizens between the ages of 20 and 73 are resolutely opposing the government's course that is driving us towards climate catastrophe and thus the destruction of our fundamental rights.
Yesterday, most of the Last Generation supporters were released after their personal details were taken and expulsions were issued; only eight people were briefly taken to a police station. They were threatened that if they took part in a sit-in again, they would be put into preventative detention.
This corresponds to the CSU's demands for the use of precisely this controversial instrument of counterterrorism against peaceful protesters. [1]
Regina Stephan (21) explains: “It's paradoxical: according to Mr. Söder's wishes, we should now face the full consequences of the constitutional state, which we actually want to protect. In the climate catastrophe that we are heading towards, we will lose all our freedoms and rights step by step - I can't help but stand up against it, we still have our future in our hands!"
The preventive detention should be applied for until September 13.09.2023, XNUMX and thus until after the end of the IAA and the date from which the Last Generation mobilizes for indefinite protests in Berlin.
Lina Johnsen (25), speaker of the Last Generation, explains: “It is becoming more and more obvious that our life here on earth will turn into a climate hell for us if we do not peacefully stand in the way of continuing as usual. If droughts and extreme weather destroy crops and we have to fight over food and water, the basic rights we have fought for over centuries will no longer be worth anything. We cannot allow this to become a reality for all of us.”
[1] www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/last-generation-polizei-raeumt-verkehrsblockaden-in-muenchen,TnpgKBN
Climate protest is not an item in the IAA program booklet
Fridays For Future Munich, the Last Generation and Greenpeace
reject VDA invitation
Fridays For Future Munich, the Last Generation and Greenpeace jointly reject the public invitations to the IAA from the lobby association VDA. Some of the three organizations only found out from the press that the VDA had invited them to various formats on the grounds of the International Motor Show - without the content or composition of the discussion groups being transparent.
“The protest for climate-friendly and nature-friendly mobility, in which the car is no longer the focus, cannot be an item in the IAA program booklet. We are not available for such a transparent appropriation.”, said the three organizations.
“We are happy to discuss our criticism of this industrial show and our ideas for sustainable mobility in an open and neutral environment and have invited the VDA to a panel discussion outside the IAA grounds on Karlsplatz.”
The VDA has agreed to participate.
The public panel discussion on the topic “How do we create a climate-friendly mobility transition?” takes place on Saturday, September 2nd, at 9 p.m on a stage at Karlsplatz.
The following will take part in the moderated discussion:
- the last generation
- Fridays For Future Munich
- Greenpeace youth
- BUND YOUTH
- #IAmPovertyaffected
- VDA
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us
Fridays for Future Munich
Luc Ouali, Tel. 0162-8519756, [email protected]
Greenpeace
Gregor Kessler, Tel. 0151-72702918, [email protected]
Last Generation
[email protected], Tel: 03023591611
Traffic blockades throughout the entire Munich city area
Supporters of the last generation protest in Munich
with a sit-in (c) Last generation.
Munich, September 24.08.2023, 08, 30:XNUMX a.m – Since 8:00 a.m., over 50 Last Generation supporters have been blocking several streets in Munich, thus beginning the announced protests in the Bavarian capital. There are traffic disruptions, particularly along the entire Mittlerer Ring in the city center.
Wolfgang Metzeler kick (48), who was only released from preventative detention yesterday and is protesting again today, explains: “75 years ago, the Constitutional Convention drafted our Basic Law in Bavaria. The fundamental rights that are so important to us are now at risk due to the climate catastrophe, everything that is dear and important to us is at stake: human dignity, our democracy, our constitutional state, freedom. When droughts alternate with floods, large areas of the earth become uninhabitable, global production chains collapse, and food becomes scarce - then the foundations for a life of security and dignity are missing."
He goes on to say: “Let us finally face the reality that our government is not adhering to current climate law and is abandoning a life of security and dignity to destruction. It is time for us as a society to help the government uphold the law and protect our fundamental rights. In a social council climate we can find good political solutions. Solutions characterized by peace, democracy and justice."[1]
What is planned in Munich:
We will make Munich a protest stronghold for weeks and thus bring the federal government's breach of the constitution into the public eye.
We repeatedly take to the streets of Munich peacefully and resolutely, blocking traffic with sit-ins and sticking ourselves to the asphalt with our hands. We always leave an emergency exit free. We always remain peaceful in word and deed, even when we are insulted and dragged off the street.
We will not let the controversial preventive detention, the threat of criminal proceedings or fines stop us. Because we know that our protest is justified: Our government is destroying the basis for a life of freedom and dignity. Our government is breaking the climate protection law and thereby trampling on the fundamental rights of our and future generations.
We know that our peaceful resistance is only effective and noticed if it massively disrupts everyday life. Our protest is not directed against our fellow human beings, whom we reach out to and invite them to stand up with us for our basic rights, for a life in freedom, in dignity, instead of continuing to race unchecked towards the horrors of the climate catastrophe: hunger, chaos and Force.
What happened until now:
On August 10.08.2023th, 14.8.2023, the anniversary of the opening of the Constitutional Convention on the Herreninsel in Chiemsee, the Last Generation informed about the start of the protests in Bavaria, which then continued on August 17.8.2023th, 20.03 with a protest march in Würzburg. Traffic blockades followed and protest marches began in Würzburg, Nuremberg and Regensburg. In Nuremberg we briefly interrupted our protests on August XNUMX, XNUMX due to extreme rainfall and flooding. On March XNUMXth we interrupted Prime Minister Söder's bike tour.
[1] Questions and answers to our “Social Council Climate” demand: lastgeneration.org/
black in the well and buried the Basic Law in it.
(c) Last generation
Today, exactly 75 years ago, the draft of our Basic Law was finalized by the Constitutional Convention on Herreninsel. This laid the foundation for our Basic Law. Fundamental rights that our Basic Law guarantees are threatened by the climate catastrophe.
The citizens colored the water from the wells black like petroleum from canisters they had brought with them, and quoted passages from the Basic Law: “Human dignity is inviolable,” “Every person has the right to life and physical integrity,” “The state also protects “The natural foundations of life in responsibility for future generations.” They then sank some copies of the Basic Law in oil to draw attention to the fact that all the values ​​and basic rights that bind us together and define us as a society are due to the inaction of politics in the climate crisis will be destroyed.
Lena Mair is on site to explain the protest: “The government is fueling the climate catastrophe and thus burying the basic rights that were written down here exactly 75 years ago. In a world of droughts, crop failures and flood disasters, the right to life can no longer be guaranteed. Is human dignity being violated? Our basic law is being sunk by our government in the petroleum of fossil fuels. The federal government must finally act decisively so that our fundamental rights can continue to be guaranteed in the future!”
Leads further Melanie Guttmann out: “Despite all warnings, politicians continue on their illegal course, which will collapse our society as we know it. Yesterday's report from the Climate Expert Council confirmed that the federal government is breaking the Climate Protection Act and is not presenting a plan on how to achieve its own inadequate climate targets. I am afraid that we will continue to steer ourselves into the abyss of climate hell and that our human values ​​and basic rights will be lost in it.”
Under the motto “Monument of fundamental rights soaked in petroleum – there are no more fundamental rights in climate hell” a similar protest action took place at the “Basic Law 49” monument in Berlin in March of this year. In the first criminal case, a defendant was acquitted yesterday because no damage was caused to the structure of the monument. [1] The politicians criticized with the color campaign for endangering our basic rights and completely inadequate action in the climate crisis reacted extremely sharply at the time, comparing, among other things, the last generation with the “Taliban”. [2]
The Constitutional Convention began on August 10.08.1948, 75. Exactly 23.08.1945 years ago today, our Basic Law in Bavaria was written on Herrenchiemsee and the convention ended on August 10.08.2023, XNUMX. We are committed to the Basic Law and are committed to maintaining the conditions of our fundamental rights. We therefore announced our wave of protests in Bavaria on August XNUMXth, XNUMX with a press conference on Herreninsel. Today we are using the day of the approval of the draft constitution to draw attention to the threat to fundamental rights posed by the climate catastrophe.
The current political course is leading us to a world three to four degrees hotter. Then there will no longer be any democracy or the rule of law. Professor Stefan Rahmstorf summarizes this scenario as follows:
“Weather chaos with deadly heat waves, devastating monster storms and prolonged widespread droughts that could trigger global hunger crises. Rising sea levels devastating our coasts. Overturning ecosystems, devastating species extinction, burning and withering forests, acidified oceans. Failed states, huge numbers of people on the run. (…) I am not sure whether the halfway civilized coexistence of people as we know it will still survive under these conditions. Personally, I consider a 3-degree world to be an existential threat to human civilization.” [3]
We have to face reality and take responsibility for our actions. We need to come together as a society. It is time for the government to convene a society council. Because the social council can find good political solutions for the entire population. Solutions that are once again characterized by peace and love, democracy and justice. We want politics and climate protection to be done with everyone, for everyone.
[2] www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/last-generation-grundgesetz-denkmal-berlin-100.html
[3]
www.pik-potsdam.de/~stefan/Publications/Klima%20und%20Wetter%20bei%203%20Grad%20mehr.pdf ; See also: www.klimafakten.de/sites/default/files/factsheet_wg2VierGradWelt_final.pdf
– statement on today’s statement from the Expert Council for Climate Issues –
Tomorrow the BMW factory in Regensburg. (c) Last generation
Here to download.
The Last Generation continues to see confirmation that peaceful civil resistance is justified and necessary against a government that breaks climate protection law.
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, explains:
"Once again, the expert panel comes to the conclusion that climate protection is not being adhered to. The report is a resounding slap in the face for the climate killer Chancellor Scholz. Although the targets for the transport and buildings sectors were already exceeded on April 17th and a legal obligation to present an immediate program arose, the Scholz government has refused to comply with this law to this day.
We will therefore continue and intensify our peaceful civil resistance against the irreparable destruction of our livelihoods. First of all, from Thursday of this week with massive traffic blockades in Munich. From September 13th we will take our peaceful resistance to the streets in Berlin for an unlimited period of time.
We must not and cannot allow our government to continue breaking the laws and constitution because it is about our survival. All of us alive today are the last generation before the tipping points that can stop the escalation of the climate catastrophe. "
From the statement of the expert council:
“The Expert Council therefore finds that the climate protection program presented for 2023 does not meet the requirements of the Federal Climate Protection Act for a climate protection program.” (p.33)
“From the perspective of the Expert Council, a coherent, coherent and consistent overall concept is required to close the target achievement gap. This requires an overarching framework of measures that addresses all areas of action equally and consistently.” (p. 34) [1]
From the Traffic & Buildings test report:
“The Expert Council therefore finds that the measures for the building sector contained in the 2023 climate protection program do not meet the requirement for an immediate program in accordance with Section 8 Paragraph 1 KSG.
In addition, the Expert Council notes that the reduction effect reported by the Federal Government falls short of the claim of the 2022 emergency program for the building sector, both taking into account the results of the MWMS of the 2023 projection report and against the background of the design of the measures currently being discussed in the political process , which can also be expected to have a smaller reduction effect.”
“In the overall picture, the measures of the 2023 climate protection program are not sufficient to lead the transport sector onto the KSG target path. This assessment has already been cited by the federal government as part of the 2023 climate protection program and is shared by the expert council. There is a substantial gap between the emissions reduction required under the Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG 2021) and the reduction effect that can be achieved through the Climate Protection Program 2023 in the two reports from BMWK and BMDV.” (p.75) [2]
[1] Expertenrat-klima.de/content/
[2] Expertenrat-klima.de/content/
Last Generation supporters are blocking this morning
the BMW factory in Regensburg. (c) Last generation
Arne GroĂźelindemann (27) is actually studying neurobiology in Berlin. Today he sits on the northern entrance to the BMW site, with one hand attached to the road. He explains: "Companies like BMW have known for decades about the destruction caused by the massive CO2 emissions of their products and yet continue to happily profit from it. Our government is also not intervening, even though it is its duty to protect our fundamental rights to freedom and life. This is also my future, which is currently being thrown into the sand here and I will no longer stand by."
Stephan Kaphle (30), physicist, also takes part in today's protest: “No matter how often the automotive industry takes up climate protection and invites environmental movements to its trade fairs, what counts in the end are not nice words, but real savings. BMW makes huge amounts of money every day by burning up all of our futures. Instead of subsidizing the destruction, the government must finally put limits on it."
In recent years, BMW has repeatedly achieved record profits. [2] [3] At the same time, the group benefited from enormous government subsidies in the form of short-time working benefits, purchase bonuses, etc. [4]
The German transport sector repeatedly falls far short of the legally stipulated emission savings. However, this has not yet resulted in any consequences for the responsible politicians. Today the Expert Council for Climate Issues publishes its statement on the 2023 climate protection program including an audit report on the transport sector. In June, deputy chairwoman Brigitte Knopf announced that there was “no turnaround” in sight. [5]
Auch Carla Hinrichs, spokesperson for the Last Generation, is sitting in front of the BMW factory today. She emphasizes: “This afternoon we will once again have it in black and white who is violating the law and to what extent by fueling the climate catastrophe. It is already clear: our constitution is being broken and CO₂ reductions are happening far too slowly. In our current state, we are slipping further and further towards the irretrievable destruction of our livelihoods. It is time for us to come together in a society council and finally initiate the necessary change together."
[2] BMW achieves record profit in 2021 – despite the semiconductor crisis (rnd.de)
[3] BMW: Profit of 18,6 billion euros – dividend increases by almost three euros (handelsblatt.com)
[4] Corona and state aid: Car companies under criticism – Economy – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)
[5] Climate Expert Council: Germany's CO2 emissions are falling, but not from transport | MDR.DE
Last Generation Supporters this morning
at a sit-in in Regensburg. (c) Last generation
The traffic chaos in Regensburg today should give a foretaste of what Munich can expect from next Thursday (August 24.08th). The supporters of the Last Generations had announced that they wanted to make Munich a protest stronghold for weeks.
Lena Mair (25) explains the reason for their protest today: “If the government thinks that we will tolerate its indifference to our fundamental rights for even one day longer, then it has lost its way. The climate catastrophe is likely to rob us all of our freedoms and the lives of more people every day. We will continue to protest until the government finally starts taking our right to these basic rights seriously again. And I call on all my fellow human beings to do the same!"
Open doors? Open borders!
Recognize the climate crisis as a cause of flight
Protest at the Interior Ministry
Berlin, 20.08.23/XNUMX/XNUMX – On the second open day in the federal ministries, activists from the climate movement and the No Border movement jointly drew attention to the connection between the climate crisis and flight. They used the open doors of the ministries to point out the climate crisis as a cause of flight. While a registered rally took place in front of the Ministry of the Interior, several activists sat down on the floor of the ministry with quotes from people with refugee experience.
A sign read “There is no refugee crisis, it is the climate crisis!”
Among the participants were activists from International Women Space, No Border Assembly, SeebrĂĽcke, Extinction Rebellion and the last generation. At the same time, activists protested Debt for Climate in the Ministry of Finance and Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development for debt cancellation for the countries of the Global South. According to the activists, access for visitors was not hindered in any ministry.
“The open day is intended to make the work of the ministries transparent for citizens. We want transparency about the deadly consequences of current politics! Germany is primarily responsible for the causes of flight in the EU. Through the exploitation of the environment and people as well as the highest CO2 emissions in the EU. Germany must take responsibility and create safe escape routes, the right to remain and education for everyone.” sagt Castroya Nara (31) from Berlin sitting on the floor in the Ministry of the Interior.
The climate crisis should be recognized as a cause of flight, as the effects of the climate crisis are just as life-threatening as direct persecution, the activists explained. The climate crisis is not only an environmental problem, but also a driving force for the forced migration of millions of people.
Rising sea levels, extreme weather events and dwindling resources are making regions uninhabitable. The Global North bears significant responsibility for the climate and environmental crisis and its consequences, while the Global South has to pay the price. [1]
Sulti Niba (28) from Kurdistan explains: “Instead of paying reparations for the destruction the West is causing for the global majority, we see millions being spent every day on border expansion, weapons production, poisoning, green and pink capitalism.” And wpus: “It’s not about small reforms or nicer border officials, but about abolishing deadly borders!”
According to the activists, existing asylum laws need to be revised immediately. Conventional definitions of asylum have typically focused on persecution based on factors such as ethnic origin, religion, or political affiliation. However, the climate crisis introduces a new dimension of displacement due to ecological factors, which requires a reassessment of the criteria for applying for asylum. Displacement due to the climate crisis is just as involuntary and worthy of protection as any other form of forced migration. [2]
“We are simply young people fleeing war and dreaming of reaching a society that protects us and where we feel safe. Does that make us terrorists?” wonders Ahmed (25) from Yemen.
The 34 year old Napuli Paul from Sudan explains: “The EU acts concerned when it talks about the climate crisis while at the same time fueling it. This is exactly how people on the run are treated.”
Pictures of the protest see here
If you have any questions, please contact the following Press contacts
In advance:
Florian Zander
+491747136130
[email protected]
On site:
Castroya Nara
+491789377160
[1] www.uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de/informieren/wandelursachen/klimawandel
[2] www.aktion-deutschland-hilft.de/de/fachthemen/fluechtlinge/auf-der-wandel-vor-dem-klimawandel/
Markus Söder confronted on a bike tour
– You cannot cycle away from the climate catastrophe, Mr. Söder! –
Supporters of the last generation in front of the Nuremberg beer garden
(c) Last generation
Nuremberg, August 20.08.2023, 14, 00:XNUMX p.m – In the morning the last generation announced:
“On Monday, August 21.08.2023st, 22.08.2023 and Tuesday, August XNUMXnd, XNUMX, we will gather on all major streets in Regensburg for sit-ins. We move on to the Bavarian capital on Wednesday.
On Thursday, August 24.08.2023th, 8 at 00:XNUMX a.m. we will block streets everywhere in Munich. We will make Munich a protest stronghold for weeks and thus bring the federal government’s breach of the constitution into the public eye.”
Supporters of the last generation are already confronting Markus Söder personally with the uncomfortable truth that his politics are jeopardizing our basic right to life, physical integrity and human dignity.
The Bavarian Prime Minister is cycling with a group of citizens to the beer garden at the Zehnteich, as a stage of his PR event “Radl-Tour”. Little by little, numerous people in bright orange safety vests arrive there, determined to remind him of his responsibility.
“What does it feel like to have my future on your conscience?”shouts the 18 year old Jonas Ertle, prospective physics student, to the politician.
Exactly 75 years ago, in August 1948, the foundation of our basic rights was laid here in Bavaria. It was only in 1994 that a serious one was added: “The state also protects the natural foundations of life as a responsibility for future generations.”
But these livelihoods need exactly the stable climate that is currently being destroyed:
In 2023, Bavaria will be the federal state that has only put 5 wind turbines into operation, wants to be the leader in energy expansion and is blocking instead. [1]
Simon Lachner apologizes to those present for interrupting the event, but also explains why it is necessary: “Our constitution is clearly being broken by the politicians who are in office right now and who are now standing on their stage and cheering them on.” [2]
To ensure that our fundamental rights continue to be valid in the future and that self-evident things such as physical integrity do not become empty words, politicians must act now. But Markus Söder, Prime Minister of the federal state that is doing the least to protect the climate, seems to want to cycle away from his responsibility. We want him to face it – for a future worth living for all of us instead of deadly catastrophes.
[1] Energy transition in Bavaria: Hardly any new wind turbines, hardly any geothermal energy | BR24
[2] t.co/wc2YVfzAG0” / X (twitter.com)
So we continue to protest
– Our plans for Regensburg and Munich –
Lilly Gomez at a road blockade in Bavaria
(c) Last generation
For a week we have been protesting in Bavaria against the federal government's breach of the constitution, which is exposing the population to climate catastrophe without any protection. In Bavaria, because our constitution was written here exactly 75 years ago.
Now we announce what will happen next.
Yesterday we blocked streets in Nuremberg all day. Lilly Gomez was taken to the police station. Instead of the usual question about whether she would go out on the streets again, this time the officers were interested in something completely different.
She reports: “I was asked whether I would pass on information about our protests, whether I would accept money for it and whether I would like to call the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution immediately. I said no several times, but the officer didn’t want to accept that.” [1]
Are these processes the “full consequences of the rule of law”that Markus Söder had announced?
A short time later, Lilly Gomez was released from custody and in the evening, as announced, she blocked another street.
We all have to ask ourselves: How can it be that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution allows our fundamental rights to be buried, but then intervenes as soon as the population protests against it?
Lilly Gomez announces:
“We will continue to stand up for our fundamental rights. Where and when we protest should not be a secret that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has to buy from me. We protest because it is necessary, where it is necessary.
On Monday, August 21.08.2023st, 22.08.2023 and Tuesday, August XNUMXnd, XNUMX, we will gather on all major streets in Regensburg for sit-ins. We move on to the Bavarian capital on Wednesday.
On Thursday, August 24.08.2023th, 8 at 00:XNUMX a.m. we will block streets everywhere in Munich. We will Munich became a protest stronghold for weeks and thus bring the federal government’s breach of the constitution into the public eye.”
[1] t.co/MhjTjeJxcx t.co/WmpQx9OfQZ” / X (twitter.com)
Paramedic Percy Orlando this afternoon
with other supporters from the last generation
on the streets of Nuremberg. (c) Last generation
Percy Orlando (43), a paramedic who has been working in civil protection for 14 years, is on the street for the second time today: “Yesterday the climate catastrophe here in Nuremberg showed how unpredictable and dangerous it can be. There were only a few hours between sunshine and people having to free themselves from cars flooded with water. Markus Söder then hypocritically thanked the emergency services, even though he continues to work every day to ensure that Bavaria remains the German champion in climate failure."
Heavy rain and storms like yesterday in Nuremberg are occurring more and more frequently due to the advancing climate crisis. That also confirms Prof. Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf, climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
"Can only repeat: Extreme rain is increasing due to global warming. Physics is understood. Global data analysis confirms this.“Wrote Rahmstorf on X (formerly Twitter). [1]
at the intersection of the B14 in front of the Faber-Castell Castle.
(c) Last generation
Here to download.
As in the past few days, the courageous people in Bavaria will continue to hold protests after they have been released from a police measure.
Svenja Schraut (19), which supports the protests in Bavaria, justifies its actions as follows: “In a world that is three to four degrees warmer, democracy and the rule of law are at massive risk; society as a whole must recognize this and act accordingly. And the course for this can be set in a social council that brings together a wide variety of citizens."
With the writing of the Basic Law came the promise that things would be better for future generations. But the pursuit of prosperity and growth at any cost led us to the situation we find ourselves in now. The narrative of infinite growth has not only failed, no, it is leading us straight to climate hell.
"75 years ago, the foundation stone for our Basic Law was laid here, in beautiful Bavaria - the foundation stone of our society. But the beauty of Bavaria, the continued existence of our society and the constitution are existentially threatened by the effects of the climate catastrophe. It is the federal government's job to prevent this.“explains the biologist Michael Winter (60), which today sits on the B14 in front of the Faber-Castell Castle.
at the intersection of the B14 in front of the Faber-Castell Castle.
(c) Last generation
“We no longer need to block roads to disrupt our everyday lives. “The climate catastrophe is already beginning to destroy our everyday lives and is giving us a foretaste of what will happen if our federal government doesn’t act now,” says Svenja Schraut (19) from Passau, and reports that the police have turned away from their protest to support emergencies.
She goes on to say clearly: “I was absolutely determined to take to the streets now and block them. But we see that the climate catastrophe is taking over for us. The streets are flooded, it is complete chaos in Nuremberg. The police headquarters is drowning.”[1]
The climate crisis is now. Nobody can close their eyes to it. We call on all citizens who are worried that the next storm will flood their basement or that their child will be hit by a branch to join the Last Generation.
[1] Full video statement from Svenja: twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/
(c) Last generation
Nuremberg, August 17.08.2023, 12, 00:XNUMX p.m. - After supporters of the last generation had already caused blockages on access roads in the west of Nuremberg this morning, they are now taking their protest against the government's violation of the constitution to the heart of the city. There is currently no way through on the two large streets in front of the main train station, because the protesters, who have gathered there in even greater numbers than in the morning, are determined to make their concerns unignorable. Ultimately, it is about nothing less than the right to life and physical integrity, which the government is currently questioning through its actions.
The police intervened from the beginning, but were unable to prevent the blockade because the protesters were once pulled off the street and slowly but decisively re-entered the street.
Also the well-known one Jesuit Father Jörg Alt gave a speech at this meeting.
Alt explained in advance:
"I appeal to the state government, the parties, the media, associations and society: use the opportunity of the blockades to discuss the associated problems and topics! Because it's about nothing less than the basis for survival of our society, our civilization, and indeed humanity!
Criminalizing the protesters, sanctioning them with general orders or even using preventive detention does not solve any of the problems that have been mentioned and that will inevitably arise. […] Listen to the message, stop locking up the ambassadors."
With their protest in Nuremberg, those involved are defying a general decree that the city of Nuremberg had issued to prevent precisely such protests. Participation in the meetings is punishable by a fine of up to €3000, and leadership can even be punished by up to one year in prison. You can find the entire general order in the appendix.
The people involved in this morning's protests were initially arrested and taken to police stations. However, many are currently being released. As of 11 a.m., 00 supporters were still in police custody.
(c) Last generation
The general order previously issued by the city of Nuremberg, which threatened the protesters with high penalties, remained ineffective. If anything, it has made the people involved even more determined. Instead of unreported demonstrations like in WĂĽrzburg, today they are protesting in Nuremberg with sit-ins. Except for the people who form the emergency lane, everyone has their hands attached to the street with superglue.
"What I don't think has been understood yet is that we are taking to the streets here for the lives and basic rights of our children and grandchildren. Those basic rights that we were always promised were set in stone. We are not prepared to watch the government sacrifice the base, our democracy, to fossil lobby interests, even if we are threatened with a €3000 fine because of it.“Says Ernst Hörmann (73), retired mechanical engineer and grandfather of eight grandchildren.
Hardly any other topic has received as much attention in recent years as the climate catastrophe. Nevertheless, the true scope of the debate is still ignored.
Regina Stephan (21) Until a few months ago, she was still a medical student with a part-time job in the intensive care unit. Today she can't help but take to the streets in Nuremberg, because, just like in medicine, the climate catastrophe ultimately involves human lives:
"In reality, the climate is not about bamboo toothbrushes, but about the inalienable basic rights of the population. The government is consciously accepting that the climate catastrophe will continue to escalate because it continues to politically promote and subsidize fossil fuels. If the climate catastrophe then leads to a tidal wave sweeping away a house in which a mother and her children are holding out, if it leads to an old man collapsing in his apartment from the heat and dying because he has become too weak to survive To call for help, then these are human lives that have been sacrificed. And that simply isn't possible because the right to life outweighs the desire to make a profit for RWE or the desire to drive at 200 km/h on the highway."
The entire general order of the city of Nuremberg can be found in the appendix.
Further information on heat deaths:
Spiegel: “More than 60.000 heat deaths in Europe”
rounded up and taken to the police station. (c) Last generation
Würzburg, August 16.08.2023, 09, 00:XNUMX a.m – In the past few days, supporters of the Last Generation have unignorably brought their protest to the streets of Würzburg. The B 19 in particular became the scene of unannounced demonstrations yesterday. A local farmer was also there with his tractor to point out the increasing problems that agriculture is facing due to climate-related extreme weather events.
When the protesters insisted on continuing their unannounced demonstration into the early evening hours, the police decided to surround a large group and arrest everyone in it.
A total of 43 Last Generation supporters were arrested and taken to one of the police stations in WĂĽrzburg. They had to stay in a police box until late in the evening, but were then largely released.
Seven people, including a father from Regensburg, were held in the police station overnight. However, they too are now free again.
Many of those temporarily arrested are now on their way to Nuremberg by train. Starting tomorrow, the protest will continue there, in the federal state where the fundamental rights that are now being buried by the federal government were formulated 75 years ago.
Nuremberg has already tried to stop such protests. In a general order, the city threatens anyone who takes part in Last Generation protests with a fine of up to €3000. Leading such a meeting could even result in up to a year in prison. Whether this will dissuade the supporters of the Last Generation from their plan remains to be seen tomorrow.
Protest march with tractor moves over the B19 in WĂĽrzburg.
(c) Last generation
this afternoon in WĂĽrzburg. (c) Last generation
Würzburg, August 15.08.2023, 17, 00:XNUMX a.m – For the second time today, a Last Generation protest march is currently taking place through Würzburg. Right in the middle is Eberhardräder from Bastheim in Lower Franconia, a farmer for 40 years. With his protest today he wants to get politicians to take action. As a farmer, he sees with his own eyes what the climate crisis can do.
"I am part of the last generation because, as a farmer, I have noticed for several years now that the climate crisis is already causing us more and more problems, with heavy rainfall and freak weather, which did happen before, but they were once-in-a-century events and not all of them few years.", says bicycles in a video statement from the street.
"And when I imagine...or I actually don't want to imagine what will happen in a few years as a result of more climate crisis, it becomes unbearable. That's why we should act now and it's inevitable that we have to support the last generation, that we take to the streets until the government and politicians act.“, continues the Bavarian farmer.
By taking part in the unregistered protest with his tractor, the farmer not only risks an administrative offense but also his driver's license. But he thinks it's worth it to make it clear to the government what it's actually risking here:
"I have a son who is studying agriculture. I have a farm that I would like to hand over, but a successful handover also requires an intact climate and I don't see that! I see this entire next generation in danger!”, like this bicycles.
The entire video statement and photos can be found here.
Further information on the climate crisis and food security can be found here:
Global food security threatened: strong winds increase risk of crop failures (tagesspiegel.from)
BMEL – Agriculture – Harvest Report 2022
Climate crisis and drought: Billions in damages for farmers | agrarheute.com
Supporters of the last generation in WĂĽrzburg
(c) Last generation
“Breach of the constitution must become visible”
(c) Last generation
With on the street Micha Frey (25). He explains: “When you breathe in the fresh morning air and walk through the idyllic old town, you could easily think that all is well with the world. This image of a beautiful, ideal world is exactly what our politicians lead us to believe every day, while they bury our basic rights in solidarity with fossil companies. This isn’t just about broken election promises or dishonesty, it’s about breaking our constitution.”
He adds: “I'm here today because we can't wait for the illusion to collapse. We have to stand up and make the violation of the constitution visible. The longer we stand idly by as the basis of our democracy – our basic law – is trampled on, the more our society as a whole will falter. If our livelihoods continue to collapse, then that will be the end of the right to life and freedom.”
The Basic Law obliges the federal government to protect the basis of human life “also responsible for future generations” (Art. 20a GG) and names dignity, human rights and global justice as central values. [1] These are already massively threatened by the consequences of global warming. [2]
Since the government refuses to align its course with effective climate and therefore human protection, it is up to society to give it a hand and develop socially just solutions in a social council. In this way, a plan can be created that is supported by society and implemented by politicians, regardless of short-term economic and party political interests. Since yesterday, supporters of the last generation have been taking to the streets in Bavaria, the cradle of the German constitution, to demand this long overdue “democracy update”.
[1] GG – Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (gesetze-im-internet.de)
[2] Climate crisis and human rights | Human rights work priorities (amnesty.de)
Allowing climate catastrophe = breach of the constitution
Supporters of the last generation in WĂĽrzburg
(c) Last generation
Würzburg, August 14.8.2023, 16, 30:XNUMX a.m – While the government is still closing its eyes and ears to its responsibility in the ever-escalating climate catastrophe, dozens of committed citizens are currently gathering in the center of Würzburg and are opposing inaction and repression. In the north of Bavaria, the land of big words and small deeds, where the foundation stone for our constitution was laid 75 years ago, they march peacefully and resolutely through the city and make it clear: “Allowing climate catastrophe = breach of the constitution”.
Among them is Ernst Hörmann (73), former mechanical engineer and grandfather of eight grandchildren. At last week's press conference, with regard to the frightening future scenarios that our government is currently setting for all future generations, he emphasized: “I can’t just go along with it, I have to do everything I can to protect them from this disaster.”
Today he affirms: “Every child has the right to grow up with the prospect of a future worth living. The extent to which our basic rights will be restricted if the government continues to refuse to stop the destruction of our livelihoods is outrageous. The course we are currently taking, which is already driving people into hunger, thirst and poverty, betrays our human values.”
Today, 75 years after its creation, it is up to all of us to preserve our Constitution and the rights and freedoms that come with it. We are all the last generation that can seize the opportunity to reflect on our values ​​and stand up for a future worth living.
In a social council that addresses the question of how we can end the use of fossil raw materials and thus the destruction of our livelihoods by 2030, the course can be set for a fair, livable future.
From right to left: Ernst Hörmann, Lena Mair, Anja Windl, Marion Fabian
Available for download here.
Today's speakers:
- Marion Fabian (73) Pensioner and composer, involved with the Last Generation since the beginning of the year
- Anja Windl (26) Psychology student and known as speaker of the Last Generation Austria; Born and raised in Lower Bavaria
- Lena Mair (25) Physics student, grew up and went to school in the Chiemsee region
- Ernst Hörmann (73) Retired mechanical engineer, formerly employed by Deutsche Bahn, grandfather of eight grandchildren and has been involved with the Last Generation since the very first sit-in blockade a year and a half ago
The government presents loyalty to the constitution, but in reality it is burying our fundamental rights
The Last Generation press conference to announce the upcoming protests in Bavaria was held today at 10:15 on the Herreninsel in Lake Chiemsee. On the same day, celebrations will take place there to mark the 75th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention, which Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder had also announced.
Anja Windl accuses this political leadership of actually burying the basic rights of the population that they celebrate so hypocritically today.
"The government is fueling the climate catastrophe and thus burying the basic rights that were written down here exactly 75 years ago. In a world beyond 3 degrees Celsius, in a world of droughts, crop failures and flood disasters, the right to life can no longer be guaranteed. Is human dignity being violated?
Today politicians present themselves as loyal to the constitution. In doing so, these politicians are endangering the fundamental rights of all of us by leaving the population unprotected to the climate catastrophe. How could one deceive the population more shamelessly?”, like this Windl in their statement today
Upcoming protest in Bavaria
The upcoming protests will focus primarily on Bavaria. There will be repeated peaceful civil resistance in cities across the state.
Ernst Hörmann to the details:
"We are taking to the streets in Bavaria because we are protesting against the federal government's violation of the constitution in the state where our constitution was written exactly 75 years ago.
We start on Monday in WĂĽrzburg. From there we head south. We will take our protest to the stronghold of political blockades. Up to the policy of absolute delay.
We call on everyone to take part in a protest march in Würzburg on Monday. It starts at 16 p.m. at the west end of the “Alte Mainbrücke.”
In an article in WELT from August 08.08th. It was announced that the Bavarian LKA had a re-registration deadline of August 11.08th. I asked all German police authorities internally what offers had been made and what seminars had been offered by the “Last Generation”. It is necessary to find out more details from police and command offices nationwide. People want to know who from the “last generation” invited police officers to such discussions or whether the police themselves approached the climate activists and whether there were protocols for the invitation letters. According to the WELT article, the Bavarian LKA also asks whether offers were made during the talks to join or support the “Last Generation”.
In order to provide clarity here, we as the last generation have now sent the LKA-Bayern all information about police networking and our dialogue offers by email. At the same time, we would like to explain why we are committed to this form of dialogue.
Police officers and climate activists are currently exposed to the greatest areas of social tension during the protests without being responsible for their cause - the failure of politics in the climate catastrophe. In addition, police officers run the risk of having to be at the forefront of the social conflicts that are threatened by dwindling resources in the climate catastrophe.
The police network would therefore like to bring together representatives of the constitutional monopoly on violence and representatives of legitimate civil resistance to one table in order to jointly deal with the climate catastrophe. Spaces should be opened for mutual exchange and de-escalation and a focus on solutions should be achieved.
For example, one of the dialogue formats organized via the Last Generation Police Network runs as follows:
13 – 13:15 p.m. – Welcome
13:15 p.m. - 13:45 p.m. - Scientific input on the climate catastrophe (from local universities or scientists with doctorates), triggers and drivers of the climate catastrophe, how far has it progressed? What else can we do? Consumer behavior and social problems + questions
14:00 p.m. - 14:45 p.m. - Presentation by the police / students (operational situation during climate protests, legal basis, etc.)
14:45 p.m. – 15 p.m. – break
15 - 15:45 p.m. - Lecture by the Last Generation (background of the protests and civil resistance, understanding of democracy, idea of ​​the social council, etc.)
15:45 p.m. – 16 p.m. – exchange, discussion
The response to past events, initiated by the Last Generation Police Network and made possible by representatives of police departments, universities, unions, pastors and individual police officers, is predominantly positive.
Within the last generation, the police network conveys the legal basis of police action. This serves to prevent conflict and increases understanding between protesters and the police.
In the police dialogue (online meeting) that takes place weekly on Wednesdays, police members have the opportunity to ask needs-based questions to supporters of the last generation, to express criticism and to point out how operational situations for police officers can be simplified. So far, every single one of these conversations with police officers from some state and federal police authorities has been a mutual benefit.
More information about police networking as well as a handout for police officers can be found freely accessible on the Internet at Police Contact – Last Generation
.We invite the LKA-Bavaria to contact us at the email address if you have any further questions about police networking police dialogue@
Date: 10.08.23 at 10: 15 clock
Location: On the Herreninsel of Lake Chiemsee (GPS coordinates: 47.86665, 12.39885)
Arrival: You can take a boat at 9 a.m. or at 9:30 a.m. from Prien (SeestraĂźe 8). www.chiemsee-schifffahrt.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Fahrplan_2023.pdf
Participate in the PK via Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/81744340402?pwd=V2NFVllsRGNzZVBIZ2NLaEV5L2NWdz09 (We are also happy to take your questions via Zoom, but we prioritize questions from on site)
Topic of the PK: Announcement of protests in Bavaria
Speakers: Anja Windl, Marion Fabian, Lena Mair, Ernst Höhrmann
Here is the invitation again:
Dear press representatives,
We – the last generation before the tipping points – hereby invite you to our press conference. In this we explain why we will focus our protests on Bavaria, on which day and where the protests will start.
We chose the special location - the Old Castle on Herreninsel - because that day marks the 75th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention. Basic rights that were put down on paper back then can no longer be guaranteed in the climate catastrophe that we are racing towards. We would like to draw attention to this on this day, when there will be festive events there.
After 20 minutes of posts from our site, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. You can take part in the PK online using the following Zoom link: us02web.zoom.us/j/81744340402?pwd=V2NFVllsRGNzZVBIZ2NLaEV5L2NWdz09
With kind regards,
the Last Generation press team
Last Generation invites you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Last Generation Press Conference August 10.08th
Time: Aug 10, 2023 10:00 AM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
Join the Zoom meeting
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Meeting ID: 817 4434 0402
Identification code: 030537
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Dear press representatives,
We – the last generation before the tipping points – hereby invite you to our press conference. In this we explain why we will focus our protests on Bavaria, on which day the protests will start and in which cities in Bavaria there will be protests.
We chose the special location - the Old Castle on Herreninsel - because that day marks the 75th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention. Basic rights that were put down on paper back then can no longer be guaranteed in the climate catastrophe that we are racing towards. We would like to draw attention to this on this day, when there will be festive events there.
After 20 minutes of posts from our site, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. There will be an online broadcast. We will send you the corresponding link the day before.
Date: 10.08.2023
Time of day: 10:15 p.m.
Place: in front of the Old Castle on the Herreninsel in Lake Chiemsee
(GPS coordinates: 47.86706816095366, 12.397077006964237)
With kind regards,
the Last Generation press team
Kevin Hecht was convicted of resisting law enforcement officers for supergluing his hand to the pavement during a Last Generation protest. An accusation that is otherwise often rejected by the responsible judges. When the penalty order was issued and sent, Kevin was in Sweden to oppose everyday fossil fuels and was in custody there for 15 days for taking part in a peaceful road blockade.
This morning he will begin his sentence in the Cottbus-Dissenchen correctional facility. In advance he makes an appeal to his fellow human beings:
“I will continue my resistance in prison. Together we can save our future from collapse, but that requires people to stand in the way of destruction. Stop watching how our basic law, our right to life, is trampled on. Get active, there are so many options.”
Kevin Hecht had very bad experiences in pre-trial detention in Sweden and in preventive detention in Landshut for another protest. Nevertheless, he consciously decided to serve prison time. The verdict “resistance” does not unsettle him, but rather strengthens him in his actions.
“In a world where the rules pave the way for injustice and destruction, resisting also means potentially going to prison. I cannot support the current destructive course of our government.”
The dramatic consequences of man-made global warming have long been evident. The window of opportunity to intervene before irretrievable limits are exceeded is rapidly closing. It is up to all of us as a society whether we manage to initiate the necessary change in time.
The resistance of groups and organizations worldwide is fueled by desperation in the face of the escalating catastrophe, but also and above all by hope. Historically, it has been shown time and again that great injustice can be ended through peaceful resistance from society, and today we continue to rely on the protest to trigger long-overdue change. Our survival depends on it and a better world for all is possible.
recorded a record temperature of 41,2°C
the climate crisis was spoken about.
From left: Josef Joppen (young farmer), Guido Halbig (DWD),
Caroline Schmidt (front) and Lisa (back) both last generation,
Udo Leuchtenberg (Mayor of Tönivorst)
and Achim Klupsch (Last Generation).
Credits: David Block
More photos available for download here.
On the occasion of this historic negative record, representatives of the last generation invited people to a meeting to discuss the escalating climate crisis.
Was there Caroline Schmidt from the Last Generation: “I believe what is happening in Tönisvorst can be seen as a harbinger for all of Germany. What needs to be on everyone's minds is that as long as we continue to burn fossil fuels, it will continue to get hotter. The situation will continue to worsen and this negative record will only remain a temporary record."
"That's why we need to get out of this death spiral as quickly as possible. That's why we stick to the streets to warn and that's why we've invited you to a conversation here today to discuss the way out of the climate crisis together with our fellow human beings.”, like this Schmidt continue.
The mayor of Tönisvorst Uwe Leuchtenberg, Bernd Schumacher Obstbauer from Tönisvorst and Provost Thomas Eicker as well as Guido Halbig, the head of the Essen branch of the German Weather Service, accepted this invitation to talk yesterday. The hosts were the two dairy farmers Peter and Josef Joppen, on whose farm the DWD measuring station is located.
mayor Uwe Leuchtenberg summarized after the conversation: “that everyone has the opportunity to change their behavior and become a role model in their own area.“This is necessary because “We have enjoyed the greatest benefits and a high quality of life from using nature. Now it's time to give that back."
Magic Flute interrupted at Regensburg Castle Festival
– There will be no more operas on a burning world –
Ronja KĂĽnkler in front of the stage
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x2RHuOViLmowNQOtXUr80XeFmYi-pRHV
Ronja Künkler (24) goes in front of the stage during the performance, sticks himself there and addresses the audience with a speech. “I'm a musician and it would actually be my job to enchant you - just like the orchestra here. But my job is in danger. Because what role will art – will music – play when we fight for drinking water? [1] Who will invest money in theaters when we are struggling with crop failures? How should an orchestra be paid if we have to rebuild entire regions after a flood? The magical world that we are fleeing to this evening is under acute threat! We are the last generation that can avert an escalation of the climate crisis.”
Because society still remains almost motionless while the climate catastrophe continues to escalate inexorably, the supporters of the last generation have brought this issue to the big stage today. The climate catastrophe needs the big stage because it is the greatest threat to us as humans, to our society, to our democracy. The first week of July was the hottest worldwide since weather records began, so the effects of climate collapse are already being felt here. [2]
Nachdem Ronja After being taken away from the stage by security personnel, three more people stand up one after the other and continue Ronja's speech. When will you finally start taking serious and effective climate protection, Mr. “Climate Chancellor” Scholz? – There is no magic technology that will save us.
[1] www.klimareporter.de/gesellschaft/geben-es-kriege-um-wasser
[2] www.tagesschau.de/ausland/wetter-heisseste-woche-juli-100.html
Olaf Scholz confronted with breaking the law in front of the Bundestag
– Chancellor does not recognize the scope of the climate catastrophe –
At a chance meeting in front of the Bundestag today, Carla Hinrichs, speaker of the Last Generation, confronted Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the fact that his government is breaking the climate protection law.
Specifically, according to the current climate protection law, Transport Minister Volker Wissing would have to present an immediate climate protection program in two days, as the transport sector has once again significantly missed its CO2 reduction targets.
However, such an immediate program is not in prospect. With the support of Olaf Scholz, Volker Wissing is ignoring the applicable law.
When Hinrichs confronts the Chancellor with this intolerable situation, he responds somewhat irritably: “We are the country that will modernize to a large extent and become CO2-neutral, just for you!” and points his hand at Ms. Hinrichs. He also points out that this climate neutrality has been planned by 2040. What was probably meant was 2045.
Whether the Chancellor with only “Only for you” the young generation meant or people who are committed to climate protection is unclear.
What is clear, however, is that this short exchange of words reveals that the Chancellor does not recognize the full extent of the climate catastrophe. People in Germany are already dying from increasingly severe heat waves - especially older people. A flood tears away entire houses - regardless of whether the people who live in them are committed to or against climate protection.
The consequences of the climate catastrophe stop nothing and no one. If the dreaded climate tipping points fall, which according to the latest research could be the case as early as 2030, the fundamental rights of all people in Germany will be severely affected.
A Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany should recognize that it is in the interest of all citizens to prevent a complete escalation of the climate catastrophe and that climate neutrality in Germany by 2045 is far too late for this. The fact that this is not the case is shocking.
36 sit-ins in 26 cities
Protest against government lawbreaking
Supporters of the last generation
Disguised as Scholz, Habeck & Wissing blocking a street in NĂĽrburg.
More photos in high resolution:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/11pKgv2cLZx8m9OdhxA9RGELS-LC3qU4l
July 14.07.2023, 8, Berlin, 00:XNUMX a.m – The federal government is launching a transparency campaign across the country today. Today, Olaf Scholz, Volker Wissing and Robert Habeck publicly acknowledge their violation of the Climate Protection Act and block them with a banner that reads “We are breaking the law!” traffic in at least 26 cities.
Supporters of the last generation use masks from government politicians throughout Germany to draw attention to the Scholz government's breach of the Climate Protection Act. Sit-ins are currently taking place in Berlin, Braunschweig, Dresden, Freiburg, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Potsdam and Ulm, among others. More cities will follow throughout the day.
Silvia Klesz (57), speaker of the Last Generation, explains: “With our peaceful sit-in today we ask the question: What should we be outraged about? About a government that breaks its own laws or about peaceful protest by citizens who won't just accept this breaking of the law?"
Courts differ on whether the Last Generation roadblocks are illegal or not. The Berlin Regional Court recently ruled that one of the road blockades was justified. [1] In Leipzig two weeks ago, five Last Generation supporters were acquitted of coercion for a sit-in. [2]
But what is undisputed is that the federal government is breaking its own climate protection law. According to Section 8 KSG, the Ministry of Transport must submit an immediate climate protection program by July 17.7.2023, 2, as it has once again significantly missed its CO3,4 reduction targets. [XNUMX] But Minister Wissing refuses. Chancellor Scholz encourages Wissing and publicly calls on a minister to break the law.
In doing so, Chancellor Scholz is violating the principle of the rule of law Scientific Service of the Bundestag states: “The primacy of the law follows from the principle of the rule of law. According to this, a law cannot be made ineffective by executive expressions of will. The non-application of an effective law by the government and administration is incompatible with the rule of law principle of Article 20, Paragraph 3 of the Basic Law and the comprehensive commitment of the government and administration to the law.” [first]
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Habeck is in the process of changing the current law in such a way that Minister Wissing's breach of the law is covered up. Whether this planned change to the law is constitutional is controversial. [6]
According to Section 9 KSG, the federal government needs a long-term strategy on how to meet its 2030 climate protection goals. Now the Vice Chancellor publicly announced that the government will not meet the targets - and will therefore break the law.[7]
Carla Rochel, Speaker:in the last generation on this: “The federal government is breaking the law and leading our society to collapse. It is our democratic duty to resist this peacefully. We call for the establishment of a social council that, based on the constitution, will help the federal government comply with the law. "
Statements from “Scholz”, “Wissing” and “Habeck”:
The Last Generation supporters dressed as Olaf Scholz, Volker Wissing and Robert Habeck make statements on the street:
A as Olaf Scholz Disguised Last Generation supporter explains: “I know that the law requires my minister to present an emergency program, but I have publicly called on him to break the law. Now the Bundestag's research service has said that I am violating the principle of the rule of law. But I just ignore that. I'm sitting here on the street now. In doing so, I am making it clear that we as the federal government are breaking the law. "
The as Volker Wessing Disguised supporters explained: “I don't like this climate protection law at all! That's why I'm breaking it. And my chancellor supports me in breaking the law. I am very grateful to him for that. Plus, I'm so stuck on the road that I wanted to show it here today in a very practical way."
As Robert Habeck Disguised Last Generation supporter explains: ”I am currently working on changing the current law so that Minister Wissing's breach of the law is covered up. I know that we will not comply with the prescribed CO2 reductions. I'm glad that the public and the opposition are hardly outraged by this. It's all about our livelihoods. "
[1] www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/berliner-landgericht-strassenblockade-der-lasten-generation-justifirt-treffensfreiheit-noetigung-li.359231
[2] www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/sachsen/mdr-nach-freinahme-klimaaktivisten-kle-sich-wieder-in-leipzig-auf-strasse-fest-100.html
[3]
taz.de/Becision-des-Kabinetts/!5939063/
[4]
Expertenrat-klima.de/content/uploads/2023/05/ERK2023_Pruefbericht-Emissionsdaten-des-jahr-2022.pdf
[5]
www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/952004/8257111fd31bd07915db53fc9860deb4/WD-8-025-23-pdf-data.pdf
[6]
www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/koalitions committee-modernization package-sector goals-weich-co2-total accounting/
[7] www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/klimaschutz/klimaschutzmassnahme-projektionen-2023.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=6
Hamburg and DĂĽsseldorf airports blocked
Supporters of the last generation stick together
onto the tarmac at Hamburg Airport.
More photos:
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X5KI7xkuVtR0Qa3iCvRcuDuJna_2o-iM
Hamburg & Düsseldorf, July 13.07.2023, XNUMX – Citizens of the last generation are currently blocking the runways at the airports in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. They are protesting against the government's lack of planning and breaking the law in the climate crisis.
The government is breaking the climate protection law for two reasons: Firstly, it has no strategy on how to meet the 2030 climate targets (§9 KSG) and secondly, the Ministry of Transport is not creating an immediate climate protection program on how emissions in the transport sector - which also includes the aviation sector - can be reduced (§8 KSG).
Citizens gained access to the airport areas in DĂĽsseldorf and Hamburg via the security fence. In Hamburg, several people wearing high-visibility vests and bicycles got onto the runway, disrupting air traffic. At DĂĽsseldorf Airport, a fence was also cut through to allow people to access the apron of the airport on foot, which is currently blocking aircraft from traveling to the runway.
Several people had their hands stuck to the tarmac.
Before Miriam Meyer When she climbs over the fence and rides her bike onto the tarmac at Hamburg Airport, she asks: “Where, if not at an airport, is the right place to protest against the destruction of our livelihoods?”
She further explains: “The world is burning and we are the last generation that has the chance to pick up the fire extinguisher. Instead, we allow our government to subsidize air travel, a major accelerant of the catastrophe, with billions every year. This is like collective suicide and we can no longer accept that."
Micha Frey, who went onto the runway in Düsseldorf today on foot and in a high-visibility vest, summarizes: “The government has no plan on how emissions can be sufficiently reduced, thereby openly breaking the climate protection law and letting us all fall into the open knife of climate collapse. Worse, she pushes us into it. As democrats, we have the right and the duty to peacefully resist this injustice.”
In recent decades, passenger numbers and emissions in the aviation sector have risen rapidly. Experts assume that the number of flights will continue to grow significantly in the next few years. [1]
Instead of presenting a concrete plan on how this can be prevented and the legally required emissions reduction target can be achieved, the Ministry of Transport is relying on “technology openness”. This is like refusing to work, because it is already clear today that this approach is futile - Wissing's daydreams are not coming true, reduction targets are being missed and the earth continues to heat up unchecked.
In addition, there are enormous government subsidies for the aviation industry, which in Germany amount to more than twelve billion euros every year simply due to the waiver of kerosene and VAT. [2]
One heat record after another is currently being broken around the world. According to current figures, more than 60.000 people died in Europe last summer alone due to the extreme heat. [3] A further aggravation of the climatic situation will lead to large parts of the earth becoming uninhabitable - as early as this century. [4]
In order to prevent an impending escalation spiral of droughts, resource scarcity and distribution struggles, a socially just plan is needed, drawn up by those who are affected. The Last Generation is therefore calling for a social council that will bring the federal government back to the ground of the constitution by helping it comply with the law and clarifying how the use of fossil raw materials will be ended by 2030.
[1] www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/illusion-klimaneutrales-flies-101.html; www.zeit.de/kultur/2023-07/flugreisen-klimawandel-urlaub-wärmewelle-luftfahrt
[2] Promotion of air traffic – “An impenetrable system” – Freising – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de): www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/freising/foerderung-des-luftverkehrs-ein-undurchtreibes-system-1.5284449
[3] More than 60.000 deaths from heat in Europe in summer 2022 – ZDFheute: www.zdf.de/nachrichten/panorama/wärmetote-sommer-2022-barcelona-institute-global-health-100.html
[4] Climate change: billions of people threatened by extreme heat – DW – May 23.05.2023, XNUMX: www.dw.com/de/climate-change-parts-of-the-earth-due-to-extreme-heat-k%C3%BCnhafte-uninhabitable/a-65706527
On November 11.11.22, 3, industrial climber Julian L. stuck himself to the street in Berlin during a road blockade to protest against our federal government's haphazard climate policy. After a XNUMX-hour trial, the judge rejected the expedited hearing.
The significance of today's coercion proceedings is summarized Liliane Allgeyer (24), who legally supported the Last Generation and attended the trial, as follows:
"It sounds like this is some kind of boring legal subtlety. But there is much more to this than linguistic peculiarities: a new department and judge positions have been created at the Tiergarten District Court, in which de facto only separate cases against supporters of the last generation are to be heard. The judge said today in the first trial that the whole thing was also a test for the Tiergarten district court and that they wanted to see judicially how far they could go in the accelerated procedures."[1]
The judge's rejection of the accelerated hearing means that the proceedings will now be released for the normal main hearing.
Today's decision is consistent with the recently published assessment of the Republican Lawyers Association and the criminal defense association, according to which this form of special justice is not suitable for the criminal assessment of last generation road blockades. Their statement states, among other things, that these accelerated procedures “Highly problematic and even constitutionally questionable because the right to a statutory judge is actually undermined“. [eight]
The way food is New Association of Judges (Association of Judges, Public Prosecutors) published a statement shortly after the RAV:
"The politicization of criminal proceedings must be avoided. Any appearance of undue influence by the executive on judicial proceedings undermines trust in the rule of law. The guarantee of an uninfluenced, independent judiciary takes on particular importance when conduct that may be criminally relevant in a political battle of opinion needs to be examined. The value of the rule of law is particularly evident when parts of society and politics demand that punishments be as harsh as possible but also as quickly as possible - as was recently the case repeatedly on the occasion of demonstrations and sit-ins by the “Last Generation“. [eight]
Lina Johnson, speaker of the last generation: “Today's refusal by the Berlin district judge to carry out an accelerated procedure shows that the overload of the Berlin courts cannot be solved through special legal treatment. From the outset, the decision to establish special jurisdiction against supporters was not based on legal reasons, but was a politically wrong decision. Our federal government finally needs to take decisive action against the climate crisis, instead of further criminalizing protests against government actions."
[2] www.rav.de/publikationen/mitteiligen/mitigung/nicht-ausnahmegerichte-fuer-die-last-generation-972
[3] www.neuerichter.de/details/artikel/article/gesetzliche-richter-gerade-auch-in-vermeintlichen-ausnahmeszeiten
Norisring DTM race interrupted
– Stop lawn towards climate catastrophe –
(c) Last generation, high resolution photos at:
Press photos 2023 07-09 DTM – Google Drive
Nuremberg, July 09.07.2023th, 14 00:XNUMX p.m. - Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Racing and Last Generation are currently interrupting the DTM race at the Norisring in Nuremberg in front of one hundred thousand fans. They are calling on the federal government to stop racing towards climate catastrophe.
Several people in orange high-visibility vests went onto the race track within sight of the Apha grandstand. Once there, they poured orange-colored oil onto the road. The start of the DTM main race, which was supposed to start at 13:30 p.m., was delayed.
Felix Kleinknecht, spokesman for Extinction Rebellion Racing, states: “It is a moment, just a moment, in which we turn all eyes away from the roaring racing cars and towards the increasingly threatening global warming. All of our demands to finally ban this climate-damaging race with its fatal full-throttle message were rejected. That’s why we pressed stop – for a moment.”
Theodore Schnarr, spokesman for the Last Generation, says about the campaign: “Continuing on the fossil racetrack is already costing human lives. With our protest we are showing that things cannot and must not continue like this: Full speed ahead into the climate catastrophe? Not with us! In view of storms, heat and droughts as the first harbingers of the impending catastrophe, it is completely irresponsible not to step on the brakes now.”
He emphasizes: “Our government is breaking the Constitution if it does not do everything necessary to stop the irreversible crossing of climate tipping points.”
This week was probably the hottest on record. Monday's global heat record was exceeded several times in the following days. Climate scientist Friederike Otto spoke of one “Death sentence for people and ecosystems”. [1] Numerous scientists specifically denounce the federal government's unconstitutional course, which is continuously fueling the climate catastrophe. [2] [3]
[1] Record temperature: July 3rd globally hottest day in history | BR24
[2] Climate researchers on German climate policy: “We no longer have any room for maneuver” – taz.de
[3] Climate crisis: slower speed means more disasters – DER SPIEGEL
High resolution photos below
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m-UnRqo-b-9laTQshLnfJAqZDcAwWlEB
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, emphasizes: “If the government breaks the law and fails to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect the livelihoods of this and future generations, then we as citizens are called upon to resist peacefully. The government's course continues towards breaking the law and leading to a deadly hot period. The fact that this deadly course is not being ended now, but that peaceful citizens are being made short work of, is shocking.”
Fast-track proceedings in connection with last generation protests have been criticized by legal experts. The Republican Lawyers' Association emphasizes that constitutional considerations must be made in each individual case. [1]
This is not sufficiently possible in the course of fast-track proceedings. In yesterday's case, too, there was no appropriate consideration and numerous applications for evidence were rejected.
Leading in front of the hall Simon Lachner, one of the defendants, from: “Our government is letting us down, letting us go over the edge on this existential issue of climate catastrophe. And anyone who points this out will be dealt with in an illegal expedited procedure without any real contact with lawyers. The process should be carried out as quickly as possible. And this despite the fact that the real criminals are in the government”
Among other things, he refers to Volker Wissing's announcement that he does not want to present the immediate program required by the Climate Protection Act on time. [2]
Simon Lachner clarifies: “If I announce that I will take part in a meeting that opposes the federal government’s illegal actions, I will be dragged out of my house. If Volker Wissing announces that he will commit such a radical violation of the law, Chancellor Scholz will confirm to him that it would be okay.”
The public prosecutor's office demanded a fine for one person and prison sentences of two, three, four and five months for the other four people. The judge's verdict, which was finally announced at 0:15 a.m. after more than ten hours of hearing, was more lenient: 40 daily rates for everyone involved.
speaker Carla Rochel on this: “We protest because the protest is necessary. Penalties don't change that, no matter how high they are. It is becoming increasingly clear that the climate is also threatening to overturn the rule of law. We cannot and will not accept this without resistance.”
[2] www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2023-04/bundesverkehrsminister-volker-wissing-kein-klima-sofortprogramm?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
Fast-track proceedings before the Bamberg regional court
– “The government acts criminally” –
Sit-in blockade yesterday in Bamberg.
High resolution photos below
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m-UnRqo-b-9laTQshLnfJAqZDcAwWlEB
Bamberg, July 06.07.2023th, 12. 30:XNUMX pm – Today at 12:30 p.m. a controversial summary trial will be opened against the participants in a sit-in yesterday in Bamberg in Bavaria. A verdict is expected to be announced by the Bamberg Regional Court today.
Yesterday, on June 5.6.2023th, 16, six supporters of the Last Generation blocked Kapuzinerstrasse at St. Mark's Square in Bamberg with a sit-in blockade from 50:1 p.m. [20] Several people also had their hands firmly attached to the road with a mixture of quartz sand and glue. The police evacuation lasted until XNUMX p.m. All six people were then taken into police custody. Five of them are to be sentenced today in an expedited trial before a criminal chamber in the Bamberg regional court.
The Republican Lawyers Association recently commented on urgent proceedings regarding road blockades of the last generation:
"In principle, the criminal law assessment of the “road blockades” of the last generation is not suitable for the accelerated procedure anyway: According to Section 417 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, these are only permissible if the matter is suitable for immediate trial due to the simple facts or the clear evidence. According to higher court case law, this is expressly not the case with Last Generation actions. The evidence is difficult, the legal assessment is controversial and inconsistent; ultimately, constitutional considerations have to be made in each individual case. Accelerated procedures are not designed for this."[2]
In expedited proceedings, it is not possible for the accused to prepare for the trial and to have a legal defense strategy or even to inspect the files. The expedited procedure thus undermines the usual procedural rules in the constitutional state.
Theodore Schnarr, speaker of the Last Generation, states: “Once again, those who draw attention to the climate catastrophe are to be punished in Bavaria. Once again, the Bavarian justice system is going beyond the limits of what is normal in a constitutional state. Neither preventive detention nor summary proceedings will dissuade us from protesting in Bavaria against the irresponsible course of our government, which is leading us to a world that is 3-4 degrees hotter, i.e. droughts, unprecedented deadly heat and the collapse of entire societies century, leads. "
He further announces: “Especially in August, we will take our peaceful resistance to the streets with many supporters in Bavaria. Because no federal state stands for repressing the climate catastrophe that has long since begun and sticking to “business as usual” as much as Bavaria. History was made with peaceful resistance not where there was a lot of sympathy, but where there was a lot of rejection. That's why we're taking our protest especially to Bavaria from August."
[1] youtu.be/qBIdLVIlr_k;
www.tvo.de/spektakel-in-bamberg-klimakleber-blockieren-den-verkehr-652480/
[2] www.rav.de/publikationen/mitteiligen/mitigung/nicht-ausnahmegerichte-fuer-die-last-generation-972
Five-fold acquittal in Leipzig
– District court considers road blockade to be justified –
Maike Grunst sticks her hand on the road, Leipzig 4.7.23 (c) Last generation
Leipzig, July 4.7.2023, 15, 00:XNUMX p.m – The Leipzig district court today acquitted five Last Generation supporters for a road blockade. were accused Pia Osman, Kevin Hecht, Elena Thor, Maike Grunst and Leon Mullem, who took part in a road blockade in June 2022 to oppose the federal government's destructive and unconstitutional course.
The public prosecutor's office had demanded a sentence of 30 daily rates in each case. Protest researchers, among others, came to the hearing Simon Theune to speak, who emphasized that Protest must be disrupted in order to be heard. After emotional speeches from the defendants, the verdict finally followed shortly after 13 p.m.: acquittal for all accused.
In order to assess whether the protest is justified, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement must be weighed up, said the judge. Traffic had been backed up for fifty minutes. In her consideration, she came to the conclusion that the right of assembly prevails in this case.
The judge also stated that a state of emergency, which is often used by the last generation to justify peaceful protest, was caused by the climate crisis.
Mike Grunst (23) comments on the acquittal before the court: “The climate catastrophe threatens our survival, our society and democracy as a whole. The fact that there are judges who have the courage to stand up for the protection of our fundamental rights and legitimize our necessary protest gives me hope.”
She adds: “Even acquittals are of no use to us if the government continues to break the law unhindered. We will continue to protest and exercise our freedom of assembly. In order to protect our democracy, peaceful resistance from the population is now needed.”
Maike Gerdes immediately put her words into action together with the other recently acquitted supporters of the Last Generation. At the moment they are interrupting Leipzig traffic on Karl-Liebknecht-StraĂźe and making it clear: the climate emergency cannot be postponed.
First court case on crazy pipelines
Edmund Schulz turning off the RMR pipeline
on July 24.07.2022th, XNUMX in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
Last spring, Edmund Schultz (59) took part in several Last Generation protests during which oil pipelines were blocked. He is now on trial for this - in the middle of the Ahr Valley, the place that, like no other in Germany, conjures up the catastrophic images that are becoming part of everyday life in the climate collapse.
Once again, the judiciary is confronted with the question of whether peaceful protest calling on the government to abide by the constitution and protect our livelihoods is legitimate.
The renowned climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf Just last week in Spiegel made it clear who is currently on the wrong side of the law:
"The parties that have governed for the last 16 years have had more than enough time to set the right course, but have delayed climate protection to such an extent that they were even admonished by the Federal Constitutional Court. Anyone who now advocates further deportation is calling for unconstitutional behavior."[1]
In the wake of the protests at the pipelines, the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office began investigations against the Last Generation on suspicion of forming a criminal organization.
Several supporters of the last generation also had their houses searched.
Today, for the first time, it will be discussed in court whether turning off oil pipelines in the wake of the climate catastrophe is also legally justified.
Court case:
Monday, July 03.07.2023rd, 12 4 p.m., room XNUMX, ground floor
AG Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler
Wilhelmstr. 55 – 57
53474 Bad N.-A.
[1] Climate crisis: slower speed means more disasters – DER SPIEGEL
Actions instead of lip service
– Stuttgart Climate Neutral 2035 marks its anniversary –
Stuttgart, July 01.07.2023st, 09, 55:XNUMX a.m – Committed citizens of the last generation are interrupting the deadly fossil fuels of everyday life on twelve streets in Stuttgart. Among other things, numerous important access routes to the city center such as the B14, the B27, the Heslacher Tunnel and the Leuze junction are affected.
The supporters today also include people from the healthcare sector. Percy O Collas (43), paramedic, specialist lecturer and father of two children, about his motivation: “Heat is the greatest acute health threat to humans resulting from climate collapse! But our federal government cannot or does not want to act and that particularly scares me. If it is already without a plan, how is it supposed to protect us when we too will suffer from hunger and thirst? I can’t just accept that, that’s why I’m sitting on the street today.”
The mother of three and psychologist sits a few streets away Jana Trommer (53), she says about her protest: “When I think about the future of my children, I become afraid of how badly the climate catastrophe will affect them. Millions of people in the global south have been suffering from extreme weather for a long time, and now we are also increasingly noticing the effects here, e.g. B. the storms in Kassel last week – Joachim Schellnhuber described them as a warning shot.” [1]
July marks the anniversary of the local council's decision to make Stuttgart climate neutral by 2035. The local council has convened a citizens' council to involve residents in this process.
On Monday, June 26.06.23th, 24, a list of XNUMX recommendations from the Citizens' Council was published on the city's website. So far, these recommendations have been mainly limited to the areas of mobility and heating, but do contain concrete measures such as the requirement that a residents' parking space be more expensive than an annual or monthly public transport ticket.
According to the coordinator Bruno Wipfler The experts involved were impressed by the participants' work. According to him, the local council will make the first decisions on the recommendations made in autumn 2023. [2]
The first Stuttgart Citizens' Council gives a good perspective on how a social council on climate can strengthen democracy. Social councils are therefore an antidote to the increasing loss of trust in democracy. [3]
The Stuttgart student involved in the protest Mary Brown (18) sees it as an opportunity: “If parties and politicians remain the only ones allowed to make political decisions on climate issues, they are more likely to be met with distrust among the population. These decisions have extraordinary, far-reaching consequences and determine the future we will live in. Leaving the population out of this would be fatal and a wasted opportunity.”
Daniel Eckert (22), a student from Karlsruhe and who has been increasingly traveling to Sylt in recent weeks for more climate justice, adds: “What the Stuttgart Citizens' Council shows us well is that the citizens are willing to help shape all of our futures in this way. That’s why I call on Olaf Scholz to also take courage and convene a society council.”
The federal government has already shown that it is willing to use this form of living democracy. But unfortunately, the decision of the first citizens' council announced by the federal government missed the opportunity to turn it into a social climate council.
A social council differs from a citizens' council in that all its work steps are supported by the media and are therefore understandable to the public at all times. The federal government would be obliged to clearly communicate how it is implementing the Society Council's recommendations. Its goal must be to answer the question of how Germany can phase out the use of fossil raw materials in a socially just manner by 2030.
Besides Daniel There are other people involved in the protests in Stuttgart, who in recent weeks have pointed out the federal government's failure to set limits for the super-rich, including in Sylt. They are available to answer questions.
Press coordination:
Sarah Milena +49 178 6628478
[1] www.hna.de/kassel/ein-warnschuss-fuer-uns-klimaforschung-ueber-das-unwetter-in-kassel-92372029.html
[2] www.stuttgart.de/buergerinnen-und-buerger/buergerrat-klima/aktuelles/interview-mit-rechner-bruno-wipfler-zum-buergerrat-klima.php
[3] www.fes.de/studie-confidence-in-democracy
Successful investigation at the Attorney General's Office
A three-month-old SZ article provides crucial information
Supporters of the last generation have this morning
Posters with their investigation results into the alleged
criminal organization”Last Generation” on the house wall
of the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office.
(Photo: Last Generation)
29.06.23/9/47, XNUMX:XNUMX: Supporters of the Last Generation have posters this morning with their investigation results into the alleged criminal organization “Last Generation” stuck to the wall of the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The ten men and women had become aware that the Bavarian judiciary was having last-generation telephones tapped in order to “conspiratorial” to reveal the structure of the peaceful protest movement. According to the file, among other things, a group of as yet unidentified backers are to be identified who make strategic decisions - the so-called core group.
As righteous and concerned citizens, the ten people did not want to keep the justice system in the dark.
On the posters they summarized their extremely difficult and complicated investigations. The poster shows that a Google search with the terms “Core group" and "Last Generation” the identities could be determined in just a few seconds. It leads to an article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung from March 09th, in which all members of the core group are named by their full names. The last generation provided this information in response to SZ's request.
The posters also show that the complete structure of the last generation is disclosed on the in-house wiki - accessible to anyone with just a few clicks.
Lars Werner is part of the core group that is being searched for so laboriously. A manhunt that swallows thousands of euros of tax money. Today he wanted to use the posters to help stop the investigation since everything worth knowing is already available to the public.
"I'm not sure whether the public prosecutor's office in Munich might not get the Süddeutsche, but it says who these ominous puppet masters of the last generation are. The authorities are so overloaded that things can slip through the cracks. We're happy to help!” said Lars Werner understanding on site.
So that there can be no confusion, a revealing, so-called “selfie” of the six members of the core group pasted on the posters.
Judith Beadle hopes that the judiciary will now finally start investigating the powerful structures in our society that are destroying our livelihood:
"I am very pleased that we were able to provide the judiciary with crucial help today in their complex investigations. Now she can finally check whether the real criminal organizations are not actually those who knowingly destroy our livelihoods every day and slow down the necessary transformation in order to become a little bit richer."
(Photo: Last Generation)
Porsche is racing towards climate collapse without a speed limit
– Blockade of the shareholders’ meeting –
against the federal government’s unfair climate policy
before the Porsche shareholders meeting.
Photo: Last generation (in high resolution below
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nYrqQRJ7Ux7vj_R-adBkODydZI4ketDl)
At the two sit-ins south of the Porsche Arena on Talstrasse and north on Benzstrasse, several people firmly connected their hands to the road using a superglue-sand mixture. Banners point out the federal government’s constitutional responsibility in the climate catastrophe: “Article 20a GG = protect lives”. The protesters use cardboard signs to point out the fatal connection between wealth and climate destruction: “Your luxury, our drought", as well as "After you the flood?” is written there.
"The federal government is approaching climate protection completely unfairly. While companies like Porsche directly influence government policy through Mr. Lindner and thus secure their fossil fuel profits, climate protection measures like CO2 pricing hit people with low incomes particularly hard", explained Mischa Bareuther, who is taking part in today's sit-in. “Our federal government does not hold the rich accountable. For a just change beyond fossil lobby interests, we now need a climate council. "
Instead of campaigning for socially just climate protection, the federal government campaigned at EU level to save the combustion engine. Instead of initiating the change towards climate-neutral and therefore sustainable jobs, the federal government is sticking to outdated fossil technologies and is driving the German economy into the wall sooner or later [1] - and accepts that we will end up in one this century a hostile world that is three to four degrees hotter.
"While wealth and climate-damaging emissions are increasingly concentrated among a few, climate protection measures are still considered too expensive. Who will ultimately pay bitterly for the damage caused by climate collapse? When will those who literally set our forests on fire with their oversized combustion engines finally be held accountable? Who will be able to count the dead as societies collapse due to drought, starvation and ecosystem collapse? Who will then justify the fossil fuel profits of Porsche shareholders?” asks Theodore Schnarr, speaker of the Last Generation.
It wasn't until June 08.06.2023th, 800 that Last Generation supporters blocked access to the Porsche anniversary celebration and then disrupted the anniversary show. The arrival of the 2 invited guests to the anniversary celebration was blocked by supporters of the last generation through peaceful sit-ins in front of a parking garage and entrances to the factory premises. Later, vegetable oil was poured from ten-liter canisters onto the roadway of the vehicle show in front of the Porsche factory. Four protesters breached the security barrier and were later arrested by police. [XNUMX]
www.diw.de/de/diw_01.c.874267.de/co2-bepreisung__klimageld_wuerde_particular_incomesschwachen_households_help.html
[2] www.merkur.de/deutschland/baden-wuerttemberg/dreams-polizei-news-last-generation-stuttgart-klima-protest-porsche-jubilaeumsshow-driven-by-92332200.html
- Last Generation Supporters Monitored for Months –
According to reports from the SZ, 13 telephone lines are affected, including that of Carla Hinrichs (26), speaker of the Last Generation. Just a few weeks ago, armed officers broke into her apartment during a house search. Now she learned that the Bavarian investigative authorities had been logging her private phone calls for months, reading her emails in real time and even tracking her whereabouts:
“I'm having a super private phone call with my mother and someone is just listening in and recording it. This is so disturbing. Why am I being persecuted? I just want our government to protect us all!”
Auch Imke Bludszuweit (22) is probably being listened to. She explains: “It is absurd and frightening the guns that are being brought out here to suppress peaceful protest. We are sounding the alarm because the government is violating the constitution and this is threatening our democracy. “I sincerely wish that nearly as many resources would be devoted to combating the catastrophe that is escalating before our eyes as to trying to silence the alarm.”
According to the SZ research, an investigating judge was responsible for monitoring the press telephone “necessary and indispensable” - just a few weeks after the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office admitted that the content of the conversation did not go beyond what is already publicly communicated in press releases or conferences.
They want to go through the investigation “Illuminate structures”.
Since March 19.3.23, XNUMX, the structures, strategy and goals of the last generation can be clearly read in a public wiki. Supporters of the last generation stand up for their protest with name and face, appear regularly in court and face acquittals and convictions in equal measure.
It is unclear who exactly is affected by the surveillance and to what extent. Winfried Lorenz (64) summarizes the general mood within the movement: “We all knew from the start that we had to expect strong headwinds. But we didn't realize the extent of the action against us. We are here in Germany, in the 21st century. Hard to say what's next. But what is certain is that if we don't finally change course, our society will collapse under the strain of the climate catastrophe. To prevent collapse, we will continue to take to the streets, peacefully and resolutely, accompanied by worry and fear, but also full of hope and courage.”
The Bavarian authorities have repeatedly attracted attention with questionable investigative methods and abuses of authority. For example, after the Last Generation website was blocked, they described it as a criminal organization in a “warning notice”. In doing so, the LKA disregarded constitutional principles.
The Berlin judiciary is also currently under criticism because from now on last generation trials are to be treated separately in fast-track proceedings. Lukas Theune, managing director of the Republican Lawyers' Association (RAV), speaks of “a kind of special tribunal” and an “Form of special justice”. [2]
The RAV's official statement states that it is urgent “The impression arises that special responsibility was deliberately created for the last generation: This impression is based on the close temporal connection between the change of government, internal discussions, the simultaneous changes to the business distribution plans of the public prosecutor's office and the Tiergarten district court - as well as the fact that de facto only the Last Generation cases are covered by this change.” [3]
Regardless of this, the last generation will continue to take their protest to the streets all over Germany next week in order to bring the federal government back to the ground of the constitution.
[2] Berlin justice system against the last generation: Fast-track proceedings – taz.de
[3] Last generation (mailchi.mp)
Republican Lawyers' Association demands: “No exceptional courts for the 'last generation'”!
A new chamber with five judges is currently being created at the Tiergarten District Court, in which de facto only separate summary proceedings against supporters of the last generation will be heard. Luke Theune, managing director of the Republican Lawyers' Association (RAV), speaks in this context of “a kind of special tribunal"And a"form of special justice“that is created with it. [1]
The RAV (Republican Lawyers' Association) issued a statement on this yesterday, which we would like to draw your attention to:
mailchi.mp/strafdefender-berlin/last-generation?e=50e85cb337
Aimee van Baalen, Last Generation spokesperson, clarified: “We will concentrate our protests on Berlin again from September 13th. We will not let ourselves be stopped from our protest. Nor about special treatment in court."
[1] taz.de/Berliner-Justiz-against-Last-Generation/!5937673/
Turn off the money supply to the fossil industry!
Deutsche Bank marked in orange
Supporters of the Last Generation are protesting with a color campaign
against Deutsche Bank fueling the climate catastrophe
and for the establishment of a society council at Falkeplatz in Chemnitz.
Photo: Last generation
Chemnitz, June 22.06.2023, 08, 00:XNUMX a.m – Today in Chemnitz, Last Generation supporters sprayed the Deutsche Bank building with orange paint using prepared fire extinguishers. The protesters are outraged that Deutsche Bank is still pouring money into the fossil fuel industry this year. On a banner they call for the convening of a social council to develop effective and socially just mechanisms for CO2 reduction.
Although it is clear to the international community that triggering climate tipping points will push us into a deadly global hot period, emissions continue to rise unchecked. Current global climate policy is leading us to a world that is on average 2,7°C warmer. [1] Even an increase in the global average temperature of 2°C has devastating consequences, such as more heat waves, more droughts and resulting crop failures, more water shortages and the loss of insects and other mammals. All of this will inevitably mean that more and more people will no longer be able to live in their current home. [2]
Juliane Schmidt (26), who is taking part in the protest today, explained in advance: “There is so much in this world that I love. This protest hurts me because I am risking my personal wishes and dreams. But what pains me even more is the suffering that the climate catastrophe is bringing to our world. A third of humanity will either have to leave the areas of the earth that become uninhabitable or will be threatened with death there. Their habitat and that of countless living beings is being destroyed, caused by a fossil economy, supported by fossil financial markets. A few rich people benefit from this, while the majority of the world's population suffers. I am not prepared to accept this and am fighting here and now for a fairer federal policy. And for everything I love. "
If the Paris Climate Agreement had its way, the remaining fossil fuels would be so-called unburnable carbon. It is imperative that their use be completely dismantled. Investing in these areas, taking into account the follow-up costs, lacks any economic sense and is probably no longer worthwhile. But exactly the opposite happens. The fossil fuel industry continues to be supported through financial investments. Deutsche Bank alone invested over $2016 billion in coal, oil and gas between 2020 and 74. [3]
"The facts about the climate catastrophe have been known for a long time. Even before 2015.", told Simi Veit (27). "But despite knowing better, Deutsche Bank continues to make billions from dirty energy sources. Those who can afford stock transactions benefit from the destruction of our environment. At the same time, the poorest people are particularly affected by the consequences. We can no longer afford this investment poker of the rich!“, he continued.
The call for a social council is intended to create an institution that will develop the necessary steps to address the climate catastrophe. The interests of all citizens of the country should be taken into account in order to use social resources as fairly as possible.
[1] www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01132-6
[2] www.activesustainability.com/climate-change/what-happen-planet-temperature-rises-half-degree/
[3] www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/bankingonclimatechaos2021/
Last generation interrupts international match
– “Stop the fossil fuel madness!” –
Supporters of the last generation are led away by security personnel at the international match between Germany and Colombia
June 20.06.2023, XNUMX, Gelsenkirchen - On Tuesday evening, four citizens of the last generation tried to interrupt the international match between Germany and Colombia in the VELTINS Arena in front of the tipping points because the federal government continues to fuel the climate catastrophe with coal from Colombia.
Malte Nierobisch also climbed over the boards today, ran onto the field and tried to attach himself to the goal with cable ties. All four wore T-shirts with the slogan “Last Generation – Stop the Fossil Madness!”
"With their policies, Chancellor Scholz and his government support the exploitation of people and the environment in the Global South. Coal imports from countries such as Colombia not only promote human rights violations and colonial exploitation, but they also fuel the destruction of all of our livelihoods. I cannot continue to accept this injustice. “Climate Chancellor” Scholz must finally put an end to this fossil madness.", explained Painted Nierobisch his protest.
On June 10.06th, 40 people from various climate protection movements in Essen showed solidarity with the Yukpa from Colombia and spoke out in favor of phasing out fossil fuels.
As citizens, we call on the federal government to call an emergency meeting of society in order to initiate the necessary turnaround with the democratic participation of a loose average of the population. The company council is developing a decisive plan for how Germany will end the use of fossil raw materials by 2030. This plan should be developed by citizens, supported by society and implemented by politicians.
From left to right: A member of the Yukpa from Colombia, next to Gesa MĂĽhlhoff, who interrupted the international match today. Coal for Germany is mined on Yupka land. The picture comes from a street protest in the past few days. (c) David Block
Your private yachts – our heat collapse
“Chancellor Scholz: Finally act”
Supporters of the last generation are protesting in the Neustadt marina in Holstein for the convening of a climate council.
Photo: Last generation
Neustadt in Holstein, June 20.06.2023, 11, 20:XNUMX a.m – The water in the harbor basin glows poison green and two yachts are brightly marked with orange paint. Banners are unfurled on the yachts that read, among other things, “Your luxury = our crop failures” and “Who are you doing politics for, Chancellor Scholz?”
Supporters of the last generation are protesting this morning in the ancora Marina marina in Neustadt on the Baltic Sea against the destructive lifestyle of the super-rich and the federal government's haphazard watching. To do this, they went on board two yachts, colored the water bright green with the help of uranine and sprayed the yachts orange using prepared fire extinguishers. Afterwards they hung banners. They wear life jackets during the protest.
Theodore Schnarr As a spokesman for the last generation, explains who the protest is aimed at: “Our questions are aimed at Chancellor Scholz: What use are their luxury yachts to the rich and their children and grandchildren when the seas have turned into a stinking, poisonous green broth? What good are their air-conditioned villas and bunkers in New Zealand if they live there in a kind of voluntary exile? Olaf Scholz, act and use courageous politics to ensure that a social council is convened that supports you in the courageous decision to stop the excessive emissions of the rich. "
The bright green color of the harbor basin warns that our seas are in danger of tipping over. If the oceans continue to warm due to global warming, they will become more acidic and increased algae growth will turn the water a poisonous green. This causes them to lose their ability to absorb CO2. This is an extremely threatening change that has deadly consequences for life on Earth. [1] The dye uranine used in today's protest in the harbor basin is a substance that is harmless to humans, animals and plants. [2]
The ancora Marina marina is the largest private marina on the Baltic Sea with 1440 berths. A superyacht causes more CO2 than 600 average German citizens. [3] Furthermore, the craftsman who fills up his van pays a CO² tax, whereas owners of a superyacht do not.[4]
"While in Germany there is a discussion about water rationing and the first municipalities have had to restrict the water consumption of their citizens [5], while in India dozens of people are already dying from extremely high temperatures [6] and we are also experiencing thousands of heat deaths calculate [7], the rich party continues. We ask ourselves, who are you actually doing politics for, Mr. Scholz?” Regina explains to Stephan why she is taking part in the protest. She is studying medicine and also works in an intensive care unit.
She goes on to say: “While poor and middle-class neighborhoods overheat, the super-rich can shelter in their air-conditioned villas and yachts. So many lives could be saved if the government finally acts now. "
The federal government's climate protection efforts are completely inadequate and socially unfair. In the Society Council we can find a fair solution that is good for the vast majority of the population. Parliament and the government should then vote on the measures developed by the company council. [7]
[1]
www.deutschlandfunk.de/
[2] www.sigmaaldrich.com/DE/de/
[3] theconversation.com/private-
[4] www.tagesschau.de /
[5] www.agrarheute.com/management/
[6]
www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/
[7] www.tagesschau.your country/
[8] lastgeneration.org/
—–
Correction to the press release “Warning color and sit-ins on German Industry Day” from June 19.06.2022, XNUMX:
We had attached a photo to the press release that did not show yesterday's protest, but rather a sit-in last week in front of the CDU party headquarters in Berlin. We apologize for this error.
Warning color and sit-ins on German Industry Day
– Fossil deals behind closed doors –
Berlin, June 19.06.2023, 11, 30:XNUMX a.m. - At this moment, supporters of the last generation are protesting at Industry Day in Berlin. They gathered for peaceful sit-ins both on the access roads and at the entrance to the venue. They had previously sprayed the entrances to the building with bright orange warning paint. On a large banner that a group of protesters are holding in front of them is the question: “Who are you doing politics for, Chancellor Scholz?” The “Parents Against the Fossil Industry” also called for protest.
The organizer of the congress is one of the largest lobby associations in Germany, the BDI. The government appears as invited speakers: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner and Robert Habeck.
speaker Aimee van Baalen criticized: “Chancellor Scholz makes politics for the rich and powerful. He makes politics for those who cause the climate crisis and can buy their way out of it, instead of for the roofer who still has to go up to the roof even in 42 degree heat."
According to their own statements and scientific studies, the... BDI influence on “all economically relevant legislative processes”. This often happens before relevant draft laws can be discussed in public by politicians and the media. [1]
Or in the words of the former general manager of the BDI Ludolf von Wartenberg"As soon as our people warn us and we notice that something bigger is happening, we inform the players in the companies. In consultation with the companies, we formulate the effects on the economy and contact the leaders of the coalition or the lead minister. Sometimes you can defuse a rocket quite elegantly this way. This whole process is still taking place outside of the public eye.” [first]
The BDI's concern: maximizing the profits of its own members, if necessary at the expense of the general public. A budget of millions is available for this. Many of its members are among the largest CO2 emitters in Germany, such as Thyssen-Krupp. At Industry Day it becomes abundantly clear what the problem is, because climate protection is not on the agenda.
Simon Bartholdy (43) sprayed orange paint at the entrance to the event hall early in the morning at 5:20 a.m. using a fire extinguisher.
He explains: "The BDI is destroying our livelihoods, the livelihoods of my children, for profit. To me that sounds like a criminal organization. In any case, the deadly fossil deals behind closed doors are a blatant injustice that we are dragging to light here today with a bright warning color. "
Christian Lindner and Porsche. Olaf Scholz and Wartburg. “Progress Coalition” and BDI. This government seems incapable of putting limits on the super-rich. For years, Transparency International has criticized Germany's failure to take active action against bribery of members of parliament. The European Commission criticizes that lobbies have too much influence on politics. [3]
To ensure that our politicians no longer conclude fossil fuel deals behind closed doors in well-air-conditioned congress halls while the forests burn and crops wither outside, the Last Generation is calling for a social council.
In the social council, randomly selected citizens discuss how we can end the use of fossil raw materials by 2030. They are neither influenced by profit interests nor by political power struggles, but are advised by scientists so that a socially just plan can be created that protects society from collapse.
"Mr. Chancellor Scholz, we hope that you support the plan. And even if we don't organize elaborate congresses, we are always available for discussionssays speaker Aimee van Baalen.
[1] Martin Sebaldt, Alexander StraĂźner: Associations in the Federal Republic of Germany. An introduction. Wiesbaden 2004
[2] lobbypedia.de/wiki/Bundesverband_der_deutschen_Industrie
[3] www.familienwatch.de/campaigns/eu-kritiert-lobby-einfluss-in-deutschland
Supporters of the last generation sprayed
the entrance to the TDI venue in the early hours of the morning.
(Photo: Last Generation)
Sylt's luxury mile bathed in fire orange - Mr. Scholz, who do you do politics for?
Kampen, Sylt, June 16.06.2023, 12, 20:XNUMX p.m – On the Sylt noble mile Strönwai, also known as the whiskey mile, six supporters of the last generation mark the jewelry store Wempe and the luxury boutique Gallery Michael Meyer with orange warning paint made from fire extinguishers and a bucket. On their banners, which they hold in front of the luxury boutique at Strönwai 7, spray-painted orange themselves, it says: “Who are you doing politics for, Chancellor Scholz? And: “Art. 20a GG = protect life”
With their protest, they show how extremely dangerous the overconsumption of the super-rich is for all of us: they are among the main causes of the climate catastrophe - and the government to which the protesters are appealing must set limits on them.
In the middle of the luxury mile, three people spray the warning color of their fire extinguishers on the thatched roof and windows of the Gallery Michael Meyer boutique, which displays fashion items from luxury brands such as Gucci, Dior and Loewe.
Hendrik Frey floods the store's entrance area with a bucket of paint, which he quickly dumps out - everything has to happen quickly. Then the former reinforced concrete worker, 22, from Braunschweig, gives a passionate statement about the motivation for his participation: “My little sister was at Fridays for Future and made me aware of the extent of the climate crisis - the droughts it is already causing are driving up food prices, which is hitting poorer people and the middle class the hardest. Anyone who can shop here is endangering the lives of others with their lifestyle: the richest percent of Germans emit almost 10 times as much CO2 as average citizens.” [1]
Also takes part in the protest Judith Beadle, 42. With a determined look, the mother of two children explains: “I am protesting peacefully here today because I am afraid for the future of my two children and their friends. Climate collapse is real and has already happened for a long time. While 12 forest fires rage in Germany and the first districts in Lower Saxony impose restrictions on water use, the deadly luxury life continues unhindered here on Sylt. [2],[3] I find this incredibly unfair and therefore demand that the so-called climate chancellor Olaf Scholz finally implement his campaign promises and take proper climate protection, someone who does not break the constitution.
The protests of the last generation on Sylt are the fire alarms that point out the injustice of the climate catastrophe. Private jets, 5-star hotels, golf courses and luxury shops play no role in the lives of the average population. They are a symbol of overconsumption and waste. The longer the Chancellor refuses to end this deadly waste, the more the question arises: Mr. Scholz, who are you actually doing politics for?
[1] taz.de//Unequal-Emissions-in-Germany/!5922585/
[2] www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.waldbrand-update-vom-14-juni-2023-wo-brennt-es-aktuell-in-deutschland.8017197d-0d82-48f1-a2ca-67fa12872d0f.html
[3] www.zeit.de/news/2023-06/12/wegen-trockenheit-landkreise-beschraenken-wasserutilization
Protest announcement: Industry Day with Chancellor Scholz
Christian Lindner and Porsche. Olaf Scholz and Wartburg. “Progress Coalition” and BDI – when industry invites people, Germany’s top politicians come and give well-paid lectures. Also next week at “Industry Day” in Berlin – organized by the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
We have the impression that Chancellor Scholz is making policies for the rich and powerful instead of climate protection for everyone.
The studies also show this. Transparency International criticizes Germany for failing to take active action against bribery of members of parliament. The European Commission criticizes that lobbies have too much influence on politics. (Source: www.familienwatch.de/campaigns/eu-kritiert-lobby-einfluss-in-deutschland)
Or in the words of the former general manager of the BDI Ludolf von Wartenberg"As soon as our people warn us and we notice that something bigger is happening, we inform the players in the companies. In consultation with the companies, we formulate the effects on the economy and contact the leaders of the coalition or the lead minister. Sometimes you can defuse a rocket quite elegantly this way. This whole process is still taking place outside of the public eye." (Source: lobbypedia.de/wiki/Bundesverband_der_deutschen_Industrie)
Climate policy is also repeatedly discussed by the industry “defused".
So that climate protection is made for everyone, instead of politics for the few, we will protest peacefully and decisively on Monday, June 19, 2023 in front of the Verti Hall, where the meeting of German industry and Chancellor Scholz's lecture will take place at the same time.
Will take part in the protest: Parents against the fossil industry
Extinction Rebellion, grandmas against the right, last generation before the tipping points
Start: 10:30
Location: MĂĽhlenstrasse / Mercedes Platz
Last generation speaker Aimee van Baalen says: "I feel let down by this government, the climate crisis is escalating and this coalition can't even pass a sensible heating law. Worse still: the super-rich are destroying our climate and the Social Democrat Scholz refuses to regulate this never-ending excess of emissions."
While the financially weakest in Germany emitted around three tons of CO2 per year, the richest one percent emitted around 105 tons - almost 35 times as much. The emissions of the richest 800 people are estimated at 11.700 tons of CO2 per year - a thousand times the German average. (Source: taz.de/Ungleiche- Emissions-in-Deutschland/!5922585/)
And while the majority of Germans have already reduced their emissions in recent decades, the super-rich have increased their emissions even further. The SPD has been in government for over ten years and is partly responsible for this.
It would be possible to protect our livelihoods if excessive emissions were reduced. If the richest third of the population were to reduce their emissions to the national average, more than half of the way to the 2030 emissions target would be achieved.
"The government seems unable to regulate the emissions of the rich. That is why we are calling for a social council“says speaker Aimee van Baalen.And further:
"The Society Council is my greatest hope for protecting our livelihoods. Experience from other countries shows how effective they can be."
The Last Generation will take their protest to the streets peacefully and decisively on Monday, as they have in the past.
The Berlin district court found: A last-generation road blockade was justified. Because this is protected by freedom of assembly. According to the court, the coercion is not reprehensible: the impairment of drivers is a socially appropriate consequence of the gathering - the regional court justified its decision. Similar decisions have already been made several times in local courts, including recently in Munich. Now a higher authority also sees the road blockades of the last generation as justified.
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, comments: “The higher authority has ruled that our road blockade is justified. This is the time when the government should come to the table with us. Politicians should stop criminalizing us and finally start doing everything they can to limit the climate crisis."
In recent months, it has been repeatedly claimed that Last Generation supporters are criminals. With real consequences for the people who take to the streets against government failure in the climate crisis. Apartments were searched, people were taken out of bed at gunpoint and vilified as members of a criminal organization.
With its decision, the Berlin Regional Court now resoundingly refutes the prejudgment of the Last Generation. Politicians – including members of the government – ​​repeatedly condemned the last generation. One of those who will have to choose their words more carefully in the future is the Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann. "These roadblocks are coercion, that is also completely clear from the case law [...]“, says the Minister of Justice to Anne Will in November 2022. [1]
Carla Rochel, Speaker of the Last Generation: “It's pretty crazy. People are labeled as members of a criminal organization and apartments were searched. A few days ago, a Last Generation supporter was picked up from his home and put in a cell. And now a court confirms that these people simply exercised their basic right to freedom of assembly."
Here is an excerpt from the district court's decision:
"In an overall view of the circumstances mentioned, in particular a very large number of impaired road users with some certainly urgent journeys [...] and a very specific connection of the object of protest to road traffic, in an overall view only such a great impairment of the rights of road users can be determined that The resulting restriction on their freedom of movement must be accepted as a socially appropriate (side) consequence of the lawfully carried out assembly and must take a back seat to the freedom of assembly."
The complete decision of the Berlin Regional Court can be found in the appendix of this press release.
We have to talk, we want to talk. About the climate emergency and about the fact that the federal government is not taking any measures to prevent the collapse of our livelihoods. This endangers our free democratic basic order and billions of human lives. In addition, the government is abandoning the basis of our constitution by failing to take climate protection measures.
After a good year of protests, more and more conversations are taking place between political decision-makers and the last generation. The most recent results of these nationwide discussions were public letters of support from mayors for the demands of the last generation (see Hanover, TĂĽbingen, Marburg).
It is gratifying that more and more politicians, regardless of their assessment of our form of protest, understand that our concerns are of existential importance and that we are protesting for the common good.
Since the protests began, discussions have been taking place at the federal political level with members of the Bundestag. Members of the CDU, FDP, SPD, GREENS and DIE LINKE invite us to talks in the Bundestag.
For months, however, all people who are in any way associated with the Last Generation have been told
Access to the German Bundestag is prohibited. The Bundestag security service has drawn up a list of all people who are said to have taken part in Last Generation protests. Anyone who says this will invariably be refused entry into the Bundestag by the responsible security service. This happens regardless of whether members of the Bundestag insist on admission and vouch for the invited guest.
Members of the last generation are reliable conversation partners and have always kept their word. If we are invited to discussions, it is natural for us not to misuse this invitation for political protest. No Last Generation protest has yet taken place after previous assurances to the contrary.
We very much regret that it is being made more difficult for the last generation to enter into a dialogue with politicians. We are open, always ready to talk and would like to work together with decision-makers in the Republic on how the impending climate catastrophe can be dealt with decisively and in a socially just manner.
Cold shower for Volker Wissing
– This ministry is ruining our future! –
Supporters sprayed an entire fire engine full of water
the last generation today at the Ministry of Transport
and thus gave Volker Wissing a “cold shower”. (c) Last generation
Berlin, June 07.03.2023, 09, 30:XNUMX a.m - Supporters of the Last Generation gave the Ministry of Transport a cold shower today in protest against the policies of FDP Minister Wissing - which, according to the Bundestag's scientific service, are illegal [1]. They adapted the size of the device used to the wave of indignation that is currently rising in front of the Transport Minister from all over Europe. With an entire fire truck full of water, they asked Volker Wissing to finally come to his senses.
Jacob Beyer, Speaker of the Last Generation: “FDP Minister Wissing tramples on the law. He is demonstrably breaking the climate protection law and is now blocking climate protection for the whole of Europe. Climate protection has constitutional status and the FDP's blockade stance is putting all of our fundamental rights at risk."
Because Germany has been unable to comply with the emission values ​​set out in the Climate Protection Act in recent years, all affected ministries were obliged to present an immediate program to counteract this. The immediate program presented by Volker Wissing fell short of the legally binding requirements so badly that the company's own expert council canceled the review and described it as “already lacking sufficient standards” [2]. The Bundestag's scientific service also recently found in its audit that the transport minister was breaking the climate protection law.
Measures such as a 100 km/h speed limit on motorways and a permanent €9 ticket are available as cost-effective and quickly implemented measures.
Speaker, Jacob Beyer For this: "Wissing categorically refuses to implement climate protection laws passed by the Bundestag - and thus to protect fundamental rights such as freedom, health and life. If you consider that both a speed limit and a €9 ticket are enjoyed by majorities in the population, this raises the question of who Volker Wissing is actually doing politics for here. For a majority of the population or for a wealthy few?"
At the international level, the transport minister is currently blocking climate protection for the whole of Europe. With his change of heart at the very last second to phase out combustion engines by 2035, he is embarrassing Germany internationally. [3] The FDP wants to stick to inefficient, outdated technology, although even the major car manufacturers such as Mercedes, VW and Audi had spoken out in favor of a ban on combustion engines in order to create investment security. [4] [5]
[1] Report: Minister Wissing violates the Climate Protection Act | Handelsblatt.com
[2] Expert council criticizes incomplete climate plans | tagesschau.de
[3] People in Brussels are stunned | Zeit.de
[4] VW and Mercedes welcome the planned phase-out of combustion engines | Automobilwoche.de
[5] Audi boss Duesmann warns of a deadlock when combustion engines are phased out Spiegel.de
Ernst Hörmann (73) at a protest in Berlin in the summer
(c) Last generation
Passau, March 06.03.2023, 08, 20:XNUMX a.m – Today supporters of the last generation gathered in Passau and brought traffic to a standstill on Angerstrasse near the Prinzregent-Luitpold Bridge. The people involved - the majority are over 60 years old - are determined to peacefully resist the irreversible destruction of our livelihoods. According to police statements, the mayor of Passau, Jürgen Dupper, has agreed on tough action with the police and public prosecutor's office. [1] The protesters are aware of this. Some of them could now face up to 30 days in prison in Stadelheim.
Why the prospect of 30 days in a gray cell doesn't stop him from taking to the streets is explained Christian Bergemann, 21 years old, like this: “Now in the climate catastrophe it is about nothing less than my life, the life of my family and that of all of us. I just don't want to have to watch in 30 years as we beat each other's heads because we ran out of food and drinking water. And I'm no longer afraid when the mayor threatens us with prison."
At the end of January, representatives of the last generation invited the city of Passau to discussions about their demands for a social council. They had promised to suspend their protests in Passau if the talks were as positive as in Hanover and TĂĽbingen. [2] But so far there has been no reaction from the mayor.
"We ask ourselves, Mr. Dupper, lock him up or talk? What will you choose? Do you think that prison is the right place for people who peacefully resist the destruction of all of our livelihoods? In the spirit of democracy, we believe that discussions make more sense. We are still ready for this.“, states Ernst Hörmann (73) of course, who is sitting on the street in Passau today.
The committed people of the last generation from the ranks of the university receive support. 130 University of Passau employees, including 26 professors, signed a recently published statement appealing: “We don't need our energy to fight each other, but to solve an existential crisis."[3]
The student representatives at the University of Passau also clearly support the last generation and recently published a statement that said: “Instead of 'show hard edge', as Mayor Jürgen Dupper demands, the local politics of the city of Passau should implement political measures to reduce CO2 emissions and listen to the activists' demands."[4]
We do not yet know of Mayor JĂĽrgen Dupper's reaction to this.
In order to protect the people involved, we can only provide you with further background information on the statements made by a high-ranking police officer about the conversation between the mayor, police and public prosecutor upon request. We ask for your understanding.
[1] twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1625051094790422528?lang=de
[2] Hanover: “Last Generation” sets off road blockades | NDR.de – News – Lower Saxony
[3] 130 professors and university employees defend Passau climate activists
[4] www.instagram.com/p/Co-YTwrIEX5/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
– SPD mayor sends letter to Olaf Scholz –
Marburg, March 06.03.2023, XNUMX – After Hanover and Tübingen, the university town of Marburg is now the third city to publicly support the demands of the last generation. In a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the parliamentary group leaders in the German Bundestag Mayor dr Thomas Spies expressed his support for the demands of the Last Generation.
Recently there have been several protests in Marburg. The mayor's letter is the result of discussions that mayor Spies held last Friday together with his speaker Philipp Höhn and representatives of the last generation.
"I support the call for a citizens' council in which representative and randomly selected citizens discuss the question of how we can achieve zero emissions in Germany by 2030.” writes Spies in his letter.
He also agrees with the demand for a nationwide permanent €9 ticket “emphatically" on.
The mayor explains why he considers it necessary to address this letter to federal politicians as follows: “Many people are concerned that this [missing climate neutrality by 2030] threatens to reach tipping points in climate change that threaten their existence. I am regularly approached by citizens of all ages [...] who therefore have serious concerns about our future and the future of their children and grandchildren."
Spies makes it clear that he expects a response to his letter.
Solvig Schinköthe (43), speaker of the Last Generation and mother of four children, about the successful discussions: “We are very pleased that, after Hanover and Tübingen, our protest has now also been crowned with success in Marburg."
"The fact that within such a short period of time demands from three cities for a society council for zero emissions by 2030 have been received by federal politicians also shows how broad the support for such a society council is in the country. We are now pleased to be able to announce an end to the protests in Marburg and, like the mayor, are looking forward to the Chancellor's response.“, continues Schinköthe.
The Last Generation has agreed with the city of Marburg not to hold any further protests in the city area.
Monument to fundamental rights soaked in “petroleum”. -
In climate hell there are no longer any basic rights
Supporters of the last generation stand
in front of the Basic Law sculpture soaked in “petroleum”.
Berlin, June 04.03.2023, 9, 20:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation before the tipping points have today
the three meter high glass sculpture “Basic Law 49” soaked in “petroleum”. The work of art near the Bundestag building shows
the 19th article of fundamental rights of the German Basic Law in the original version from 1949.
Lina Johnson, Last Generation spokesperson clarified: “Burn oil or protect fundamental rights? In 2023 only one of the two will work.”
Judith Beadle, who took part in today's protest, added: “Burning petroleum is leading us to climate hell.
In climate hell there is no human dignity, no freedom and no right to life.”
The federal government does not protect our fundamental rights:
The Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on the 2021 climate lawsuit states: “The state's obligation to protect resulting from Article 2 Paragraph 2 Sentence 1 of the Basic Law also includes the obligation to protect life and health from the dangers of climate change
to protect." [1] But instead of protecting its population, the federal government is fueling the climate catastrophe. According to the Climate Protection Act, it does not plan to become climate neutral until 2045, while we will break the 2030 degree limit in 1,5. [2]
From this point on, we are in acute danger of exceeding six of the irretrievable climate tipping points [3]
– Basic rights can then no longer be granted.
[1] www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Entscheidungen/DE/2021/03/rs20210324_1bvr265618.html
[2] www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/weltklimarat-bericht-klimawandel-101.html
[3] www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/klimawandel-das-sind-die-gefaehrlichsten-kipppunkte-des-klimas-a-ce62231c-6520-4166-9267-8d5b3045f432
Aimee van Baalen, who discussed with MPs today, explains: “Our government is making dirty deals with RWE and letting Lützerath be mined. Apparently our government would rather listen to lobbyists for fossil fuel companies than to its own people. Today we'll also try bribery!"
Is the government breaking the constitution?
The Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on the 2021 climate lawsuit states: “The state's obligation to protect resulting from Article 2, Paragraph 2, Sentence 1 of the Basic Law also includes the obligation to protect life and health from the dangers of climate change.”[1] That means allowing climate catastrophe means breaking the constitution.
A climate catastrophe threatens at the latest when the 1,5 degree limit is exceeded: between 1,5 and 2 degrees we are likely to exceed 6 tipping points - with devastating consequences for us humans.[2] There is then even a risk that a cascade of tipping points will be triggered: tipping points topple each other like dominoes. The result: climate collapse.[3] According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the IPCC - we will reach the 1,5 degree limit as early as 2030.[4]
How this is supposed to be constitutional is a mystery to us!
[1] Climate judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court
[2] Prof. Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf: These are the most dangerous tipping points in the climate
[3] esd.copernicus.org/articles/12/601/2021/
[4] www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/weltklimarat-bericht-klimawandel-101.html
Farewell to Elinor
The Last Generation changes their donation account
Berlin, March 1, 2023 20:00 p.m. – Since the hunger strike in the federal election campaign and since then, the last generation has been using a group account offered by elinor Treuhand eV for their own financial resources. The association has now terminated the cooperation with the group “on good terms” because their clout in the public eye represents too high a business risk for the association, which manages thousands of group accounts.
Luke Kunert, Managing Director of elinor: “The collaboration with the last generation was always benevolent and open. We share the goals of the Last Generation in averting climate collapse, but we also bear responsibility for all other group accounts. Therefore our paths must part.”
The last generation also speaks of a “farewell on good terms”:
Kim Schultz clarifies: “Elinor has been very supportive of us in the past. We can understand that the impact that our campaign has developed over the last few months is difficult for elinor to bear. We are grateful for the uncomplicated and trusting cooperation. Now it’s time to stand more on your own two feet.”
Contributions can now be credited to the account KUEÖ – Climate and environmental education for the preservation of life-securing ecosystems non-profit GmbH (kueoe.de), which manages the money in collaboration with the Last Generation Movement, the group said. Hundreds of recurring donations via SEPA direct debit that the group now receives will continue automatically, according to the statement.
With the growth of the movement, which has been expanding its resistance against the government's fatal climate policy for a year, there are more and more supporting initiatives in its field of activity that give parts of the work for political change a legal framework. Already in the middle of the month, the group announced on Twitter that payments for legal costs such as adhesive fees or penalty payments would be managed in an account of the environmental trust fund.
TĂĽbingen's mayor supports the demands of the last generation
Tübingen, March 01.03.2023st, 08, 00:XNUMX a.m – Less than a week after the mayor of the Lower Saxony state capital of Hanover, Belit Onay, who publicly supported the demands of the last generation before the tipping points, is now followed by the mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer.
In a statement published on his Facebook page, Palmer spoke out in favor of a social council that would develop a climate protection package for a climate-neutral Germany in 2030. [1] So climate neutrality in 7 years instead of 22, as the current federal policy plans envisage.
"I share your concern to take climate protection seriously and to adapt political decisions to physical requirements.”, writes Palmer with regard to the four representatives of the last generation with whom he met on February 21st in Tübingen town hall.
The Citizens' Council, which is anchored in the coalition agreement, seems to him to be a suitable means of ensuring this while at the same time involving the citizens. Palmer and the last generation also agree on the specific design of such a social council: “For me it is important that the principles of parliamentarism are respected. This means that Parliament and the government must set up such a council of their own accord and should commit themselves to seriously considering the results and translating them into political decisions.”, writes Palmer.
Carla Rochel, spokesperson for Last Generation, on the positioning of the two mayors: “The fact that, after the mayor of Hanover, the mayor of Tübingen is now also publicly speaking out in favor of a climate society council is a big milestone for us."
"These are successes of our protest, because it draws attention like a magnifying glass to the destruction of our livelihoods. They show that the peaceful path we have chosen is the right one. We call on the federal government to follow the example of the two mayors and finally start discussions.”, like this rochel continue.
[1] Statement from TĂĽbigen Mayor Boris Palmer
Call to the Bundestag pasted
Letter from Hanover's mayor calls on federal policy to protect human existence
Berlin, June 28.2.2023, 10, 00:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation before the tipping points personally delivered the letter from the Mayor of Hanover to its recipients in federal politics today. They used paste to stick Belit Onay's poster-sized letter to the north entrance of the Bundestag and distributed it in A4 format to members of parliament and visitors.
Last week, after discussions with representatives of the last generation, the mayor of the Lower Saxony state capital Hanover addressed the parliamentary group leaders in the German Bundestag in a public statement.
"In the discussions there was agreement that the climate crisis acutely endangers the existence of humanity, its health, its security and its nutrition […]" and "If the temperature continues to rise at the current rate, important tipping points will be reached as early as 2030 […]", Splits Confirmation in his broadcast and, against this background, calls on federal politicians to discuss and implement the demands of the last generation.
Julian, mathematics lessons from Berlin, who attached Onay's letter to the facade, explains: “With the mayor of Hanover, a major German city is supporting the demands of the last generation. Today we are bringing Hanover's public appeal to the members of the Bundestag with the necessary urgency."
The first dramatic harbingers of the looming climate catastrophe have long since reached Europe. In the middle of winter, droughts in France and Italy are causing reservoirs to run dry, endangering drinking water supplies and this year's harvests. But instead of pulling the emergency brake, the heads of government are continuing their deadly course. The French Climate Minister Christophe BĂ©chu seems to be resigned to this negligent inaction. In a press conference he said that we now have to prepare for a life with 4 degrees plus.
Stefan Rahmstorf, renowned climate researcher at PIK, made it clear on Twitter: “No government will be able to protect its citizens in a world that is 4 degrees warmer. That's the reality." [1]
The Last Generation from the Tipping Points appeals to the federal government to fulfill its duty to the constitution and the population:
Prevent the complete destruction of our livelihoods and the billions of suffering that comes with it. Difficult decisions lie ahead. Let citizens have a direct say in this process in order to create the necessary trust. Convene a company council with the task of developing measures for zero emissions by 2030 in Germany.
[1] twitter.com/rahmstorf/status/1629737592445886464
Hannover supports Last Generation
Mayor sends letter to Bundestag
Hanover, November 24.02.2023th, XNUMX – The mayor of the Lower Saxony state capital of Hanover, Belit Onay, has now addressed the parliamentary group leaders in the German Bundestag in a public statement after discussions with representatives of the last generation. In this he emphasizes “an agreement that the climate crisis acutely endangers the existence of humanity […]“. He "I share the assessment of science and the last generation that the current measures are not enough” and calls on the Bundestag to discuss and implement the demands of the last generation. The speed limit, the €9 ticket and the social council are explicitly mentioned.
Theodor Schnarr (32), spokesman for the Last Generation, classifies this statement today as follows: “Civil resistance has once again been crowned with success. If the federal government were to approach the existential threat of climate collapse with the same common sense as the city of Hanover, we would be a big step further in protecting the population."
As part of the protests in Hanover that have been going on for several weeks, talks took place on Tuesday between representatives of the city and representatives of the last generation. Now that these have been successful, the Last Generation will completely stop the initially suspended protests in Hanover. This is what the city and the last generation agreed on, as can be seen from the city's statement.
"We call on all mayors to start discussions following Hanover's example!“, appeals Schnarr continue.
City representatives who took part in the discussions included Mayor Belit Onay, Head of the Economics and Environment Department Anja Ritschel, Council Chairwoman Uta Engelhardt and Bundestag member Swantje Michaelsen. Lea Bonasera, Nadja Flachmann and Lena Schiller were present as representatives of the last generation before the tipping points.
Nadia Flachmann (Last generation) appears to be in a positive mood after the discussions:
"The urgency of action in the crisis as well as the goal of preventing the tipping point from being exceeded and maximally reducing the climate crisis are the common denominators of the participants. Mayor Onay signaled his willingness to cooperate and support."
The city of Hanover would now like to publicly position itself on the goals of the last generation. The Last Generation calls on the federal government to convene a society council on the question of how Germany can achieve zero emissions by 2030 and to implement the resulting measures in a binding manner.
The state capital Hanover could be the first city in Germany to publicly support the goals of the last generation. The group had called on all cities in the Federal Republic to do so and offered to permanently suspend the protests in each city if they supported it.
Explained before the start of the negotiation Jeschke: "I'm sorry that I'm doing this now, but I can't help it. I want us to maintain the rule of law. You don't want to hear it in this room, but: We need to talk about the climate emergency. The richest one percent are fueling the catastrophe for nothing but quick profit – fully aware of the deadly consequences. We must bring the real criminals to justice."
In previous proceedings, the judges have not dealt with the reality of the climate crisis, against the background of which the Last Generation protest is taking place. Applications for evidence that climate scientists or protest researchers invite, for example to assess the effectiveness of the protest, will be rejected.
In past judgments against Jeschke, however, it was said that the aim pursued was a noble goal, but the means were not appropriate and therefore a condemnation had to be made. The judges’ personal political opinions are regularly expressed here. Almost all judges shy away from properly examining all the relevant circumstances of the case.
On the first day of the trial at the beginning of February, the responsible person Magistrate Jacobs warned of an “eco-dictatorship” even before the evidence was taken and remarked after Jeschke’s statement: “The courtroom is not the right forum for their position.” The defendant wanted to use a small group to force his position on the majority of the population. He – the judge continued – clearly believes that he has owned the truth. But he should rather retreat into a quiet room and reflect - far away from his like-minded people.
Henning Jeschke recently came across evidence that Judge Jacobs had already shared documents from the public prosecutor's office in the court's internal chats at the end of last year - possibly as a "sentencing aid" for other judges. However, a motion to dismiss due to bias on the part of the judge was dismissed.
Emphasized in the hearing room Jeschke: "We must respect the right to life. While I am being condemned for this demand, some corporations that should actually be here are freely continuing to destroy the climate and thus society. The rich continue to drill for oil and build bunkers. They know about the suffering and death. We have all known this for decades. And it continues.
Vegetables have been rationed in England since yesterday - in rich Europe. We won't have anything to eat anymore either."
Due to crop failures in exporting countries in southern Europe and North Africa caused by extreme weather events, several British supermarket chains are currently rationing vegetables. [1] Global warming is one of the strongest drivers of hunger. Droughts and extreme weather are causing unprecedented food shortages in all regions of the world.
Today, over 3,3 billion people around the world already live in areas at great risk from global overheating. [2] Reports about the impending climate chaos assume that annual average crop losses could amount to a third of the harvest as early as 2050.[3]
Henning Jeschke emphasizes: “Here it is pretended that none of this is relevant to the case. We have to talk about this. It's time for the courts to do a proper review."
[1] Tomatoes and cucumbers are becoming scarce: British supermarket chains are rationing vegetables | tagesschau.de
[2] Summary of the IPCC report: Between 3,3 and 3,6 billion people live in areas that are “highly vulnerable”.
[3] Chatham House Report 2021: Crop losses in major cereals could occur in multiple countries at the same time
The government is sawing away at the branch we sit on
Federal Chancellery (c) Last generation
There, in the center of power in Germany, they felled a tree with a hand saw today. The dead stumps in front of the Chancellor's front door now stand as a memorial for what has actually long been obvious, but still happens every day as a matter of course: "The federal government is actively promoting the destruction of our livelihoods. She saws on the branch on which we all sit."
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation, said: “In 2022 we experienced the largest forest fires in Germany's history. Forest dieback caused by global warming is spreading and the Harz Mountains have already been completely destroyed. If things continue like this, our remaining, once healthy and vibrant forests will suffer the same fate."
"Nevertheless, Finance Minister Lindner wants to continue building new highways and not only have entire forests cleared, but he is also adding fuel to the fire in which our forests are burning more and more often. Even after a year like 2022, there is no indication that he or the others responsible are prepared to put a stop to this destructive course.”, like this van Baalen continue.
Last year, 4300 hectares, or more than 6000 football fields, of forest burned down.[1] This makes it a record year – more than five times worse than the long-term average year. Even more worrying: the last record, which 2022 significantly surpassed, was only from 2019.
The Harz, with its swathes of dead trees, may be the most impressive German example of forest dieback caused by global warming - it is a forest that has already passed its tipping point - but the entire German forest is threatened. According to DLR, 2018% of German forests were lost in the short period of four years (2022-5).[2]
The international situation is even more dramatic. The Amazon rainforest, also called the lungs of the earth, is already around 17% destroyed and is therefore razor close to its tipping point, which is assumed to be 20%-25% destruction.[3] If this tipping point is exceeded, the forest can no longer be saved, will die without our intervention and will largely become savanna. This is one of the dreaded tipping points that could trigger a cascade of tipping points that threatens the survival of human civilization. [4]
[1] www.feuerwehrverband.de/rekord-waldbrandsommer-2022-fast-4300-hektar-wald-verburnt-waldeigentuemer-und-feuerwehren-fordern-finanzielle-unterstuetzung-fuer-praeventionsmassnahme/
[2]www.forstpraxis.de/neue-ausvaluation-deutsche-waelder-staerker-geschaedigt-als-befuerchtet-19246
[3]www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/amazonas-klimawandel-101.html
[4]www.resilience.org/stories/2020-06-08/collapse-of-civilization-is-the-most-likely-outcome-top-climate-scientists/
the last generation on the street in Berlin Unter den Linden.
(Lutz van der Horst with us for filming today) (c) Last generation
It's on the road Prof. Dr. Julia Bee. For years she has been watching in disbelief the government's actions, which are far from scientific and endangering our survival.
She explains: "I am a university lecturer and not only respect the democratic process, but also see it as my job to convey this to young people in courses. I am appalled that peaceful protests are seen as a problem instead of taking scientific studies more seriously. For decades, these have shown the dramatic and interlinked consequences of the climate, biodiversity and waste catastrophe, and that civil resistance against them is appropriate."
Auch Barbara Schramkowski, a professor at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University, who helped organize the action, supports the protest today and explains: “We show solidarity with the concerns and forms of protest of the last generation and condemn the criminalization of the movement. The people and parties who cling to the status quo in politics and business should be charged."
Scientists have been warning about the dramatic consequences of global warming for decades. The first world climate conference took place in 1979 to address the danger and develop solutions. Since then, laws have been adapted, rewritten and international treaties concluded. But there was no redirection. Emission reductions lag behind international and national laws. CO2 emissions rose to an all-time high in 2022. [1]
Warnings from science and research are becoming more concrete and urgent, but they are still not sufficiently incorporated into political decisions.
Three days ago, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the UN Security Council of an impending “Mass exodus" and from "increasingly fierce battles for drinking water, living space and other resources🇧🇷 [2]
The consequences of decades of inaction are already catastrophic. This week alone, national emergencies were declared in New Zealand and South Africa due to extreme weather events. [3] [4]
Irma Trommer sits on the street in Berlin today determined and hopeful. She emphasizes: “If the government continues to bend to the will of the fossil fuel lobby and ignore scientific facts, we will hit irreversible tipping points and irreversibly destroy any chance of salvation. We cannot undo suffering, but we can still avert climate hell. Let us come together in a social council and work on this together."
[2] “Mass extinction of biblical proportions”: UN chief warns of rising sea levels (tagesspiegel.from)
[3] Floods: South Africa declares another disaster – ZDFheute
[4] After tropical storm: New Zealand declares a national emergency – ZDFheute
Opening of the Berlinale interrupted –
Escapism is driving us into climate hell
Lisa Winkelmann and Raphael Voellmy
on the red carpet of the Berlinale (c) last generation
Berlin, June 16.02.2023, 19, 35:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation before the tipping points just interrupted the opening of the 73rd International Film Festival in Berlin. The two committed people crossed the barrier and stuck themselves to the red carpet with superglue. Amidst shiny robes, they made it unignorably clear in simple T-shirts with the inscription: “Last Generation” that the current government, the current society, is the last one that still has a chance to prevent the course into a climate hell with billions of deaths . [1]
Before she heads to the red carpet, explains Lisa Winkelmann (20): “We are racing unchecked into an unimaginable catastrophe. We as a society can no longer afford to ignore the approaching collapse. If we indulge in escapism any longer, we will break the first climate tipping points and unleash a deadly avalanche from which there is no escape.”
Raphael Voellmy (26) is also taking part in today's protest. He emphasizes: “Events like this one tempt people to ignore the acute danger. But if we continue as before, there will be no more events like this. Promoting sustainability on a small scale, as the Berlinale does, is important, but it alone will not save us. We have to turn things around now. Let us come together in a social council and work out how we can overcome this unprecedented test together.”
Berlin bridge concreted over –
Real climate protection instead of highway expansion
Concrete on the Berlin MĂĽhlendamm Bridge (c) Last generation
Berlin, June 15.02.2023, 8, 45:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation are standing in the way of the course to climate hell in Berlin today and are blocking the Mühlendamm Bridge. The focus is on the German federal government's misguided transport policy. While some citizens sit on the street in high-visibility vests and stick them together, others pour concrete onto the road and thus use it for a more useful purpose than the construction of new, climate-damaging highways. At the same time, the lane is blocked by a van with a dedicated person stuck to the roof.
Miriam Meyer (30) pours concrete on the road today and explains this as follows: “Our FDP ministers Lindner and Wissing are committed to more motorways to reduce CO2. We don't think so. Today we use concrete really sensibly and interrupt the deadly everyday life!”
While the FDP repeatedly speaks out against a speed limit, which is both desired by a majority of the population and would save a large amount of emissions, it advocates the expansion of motorways. In doing so, she also encourages the CDU, which wants to build a 'climate highway' in Berlin. Prominent faces of the parties claim that the expansion of the motorway will protect the climate. [1]
Lina Schinkothe (21) explains before she climbs onto the transporter and sticks herself onto it: “It cannot be the case that politicians can get away with such absurd claims. They are playing poker for the goodwill of the fossil and car lobby and are gambling away our survival in the process. The course towards collapse has not yet been cemented. We now need a social council that creates paths to a future worth living.”
Numerous studies refute Christian Lindner's claim that more motorways would lead to fewer traffic jams. The construction and expansion of roads increases demand, which ultimately counteracts climate protection. Instead, the expansion of affordable public transport would be demonstrably effective. [2] Mobility researchers Andreas Knie summed it up in a Spiegel interview: “Continuing to expand roads doesn’t help anyone, including drivers.” [3]
As the last generation before the tipping points, we are currently protesting across Germany for the introduction of a social council on the question of how Germany can achieve zero emissions by 2030. The climate collapse of our societies can only be prevented with drastic measures. These should be developed by citizens for citizens.
More peaceful traffic blockades took place in several cities today. Overall, there have been similar protests since February 06.02.2023, 20, blockades in over XNUMX German cities.
[1] (1) Christian Lindner on Twitter: “More speed in #planning acceleration! This is also in the spirit of climate protection when it comes to roads. Because we can reduce unnecessary CO2 in traffic caused by traffic jams and detours if our highways are better developed and connected. CL” / Twitter
[2] Less traffic jams thanks to 9 euro tickets – analysis of Tomtom data – economy – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)
[3] Traffic - Study from the USA: Wider roads do not help against traffic jams - DER SPIEGEL
Blockade at the Berlin MĂĽhlendamm Bridge (c) Last generation
Original quality photo available for download here.
Berlin, June 13.02.2023, 16, 30:XNUMX a.m – Citizens of the last generation gathered today on an exit from the Berlin A100 city highway and stuck it together. They are directly protesting against the highway plans of the FDP and CDU. In times of climate emergency and while the Ministry of Transport is making headlines for breaking the law and refusing to work, they want to stick to the nationwide expansion of motorways [1] [2].
There is even an adventurous attempt to reinterpret the word. If the CDU Berlin is to be believed, the A100 will soon become a “climate highway” [3].
The reality: More roads mean more car and truck traffic, more traffic jams and more emissions [4]. Also quite independent of the drive technology. Because an e-SUV uses just as much space on the road, just as much parking space and huge amounts of energy and resources in production [5]. And so he uses just as much cement for infrastructure, causes surfaces to be sealed, etc. - all of this also kills the climate!
Winfried Lorenz explains his protest while stuck on the A100 exit: “100 km/h on motorways, a 9 euro ticket and a real shift in traffic away from cars - purely out of self-interest for our own survival, this should be our minimum goal. Instead, Volker Wissing's new motto is 'On the climate highway to climate hell'. The FDP and CDU cling to traffic concepts from the last millennium like a drowning man to his lifebuoy. It is now time to boldly look forward instead of always looking back. If the parties cannot agree on this, perhaps a company council should help them. "
The current transport route plan was drawn up before the Climate Protection Act and continues to focus on promoting traffic on the roads and building new motorways instead of initiating a traffic turnaround [6].
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned with drastic words at COP27: “We are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.” [first]
As the last generation before the tipping points, we are currently protesting across Germany for the introduction of a social council on the question of how Germany can achieve zero emissions by 2030. The climate collapse of our societies can only be prevented with drastic measures. These should be developed by citizens for citizens.
More peaceful traffic blockades took place today, so far in Leipzig and Marburg. In total, similar protests and blockades have taken place in over 06.02.2023 German cities since February 20, XNUMX.
Sources:
[2] Climate protection: According to the report, Minister Wissing is violating the law
[3] “Climate highway”: This is how the CDU imagines the further construction of the A100 | development city Berlin
[4] More roads = more traffic jams:
www.wiwo.de/politik/deutschland/stau-mythen-manchmal-gehen-verkehrsplaner-stillstand-conscious-in-kauf/25381156-all.html
[5] CO2 balance And electric cars have a better climate balance! Read aloud
[6] Transport route plan: Critics demand more rail expansion | tagesschau.de
[7] UN chief Guterres at COP27: “On the highway to climate hell” – ZDFheute
Passau, March 13.02.2023, 08, 15:XNUMX a.m –As it became known at the weekend, the mayor of Passau, Jürgen Dupper, is said to have sworn the local police forces to take tough action against the Last Generation protesters. A “hard edge” should be shown and the peaceful citizens “will not be allowed to get away with anything here,” the mayor is quoted as saying. Supporters of the last generation learned this in a personal conversation with a high-ranking police officer.
This information is particularly explosive because the relevant instructions have already been put into action. Since February 06.02th Micha Frey is now locked up in the Stadelheim prison. The 24-year-old and four other people gathered peacefully in Passau this Monday and brought traffic on a main artery to a standstill. While the other four were able to leave the police station after an identity check and completing the formalities, Frey was brought before the judge.
The police's request read: “Compulsory detention until at least one day after political Ash Wednesday and thus until February 23.02rd. 23:59 p.m. The Passau District Court complied with this request. Frey was no longer asked whether he specifically planned to continue taking part in peaceful street protests until this date. The reason that seemed to be sufficient was that civil society groups in Passau had often used the time before political Ash Wednesday for political events in the past.
No climate activist has ever been imprisoned for several weeks on such a thin basis in Germany. Not even in Bavaria, whose legal situation extends so far into the gray area of ​​the rule of law that Amnesty International expressed “fundamental human rights concerns” before its introduction.[1] The question therefore arises: “How independent are the courts if the mayor takes the line of taking a “hard edge” against climate activists? In addition to the police in Passau, are magistrates also being abused by Mr. Dupper for his political calculations?”
In Passau, however, the secret agreement that came to light has triggered a storm of indignation among local supporters of the last generation.
"We ask ourselves, Mr. Dupper: Is Micha Frey sitting in a cell in Stadelheim right now because you want to eat herring in peace on political Ash Wednesday? We will not accept that the mayor wants to take a “hard stance” against climate protection. In doing so, he refuses to take the necessary measures to ensure our survival.", explained Kristina Geyer, speaker of the Last Generation in Passau.
"We hereby announce, significantly earlier than planned, on Wednesday, February 15.02thto take to the streets again in Passau. Neither Mr. Dupper nor preventive detention will stop us from peacefully standing in the way of the destruction of our livelihoods.”, like this geyer continue.
[1] Amnesty position paper: Statement on the planned changes to the police duties law in Bavaria
Micha Frey has been here since February 06.02th. imprisoned in the Stadelheim JVA. (c) Marlene Charlotte Limburg
Original quality photo available for download here.
Berlin, June 10.01.2023, 11, 30:XNUMX a.m – People from the healthcare sector are pointing out the catastrophic health consequences of the climate catastrophe with a traffic blockade in Berlin. They are sitting on the road in their uniforms and some of them have stuck themselves to it with superglue. The words: “We are your rescue lane” and “Our job is to save lives” are emblazoned on two banners.
going (25) is a medical student. She explains why she is taking part in today's protest: “I am studying medicine because I want to help people get and stay healthy. The government is making this task massively more difficult and almost impossible by fueling the climate catastrophe. Your current policies will cost millions of lives. Knowing this, I can’t continue to sit quietly in the lecture hall.”
She further explains: “Our mission is to keep people healthy. In a 2-3 degree hotter world that we are hurtling towards, this will become increasingly difficult to achieve. Countless heat deaths, the spread of tropical diseases to our latitudes, water shortages and food insecurity due to long-lasting droughts - we can now prevent all of these horrors. Once the climate tipping points have been passed, there is no medicine that can cure the climate system.”
Christopher Sappok, who also sprayed paint on the RWE facade today, emphasizes: “The government is failing to free itself from the stranglehold of fossil fuel corporations as collapse draws ever closer. The greed and lies of the richest 1% must no longer be placed above science and the common good for a second. To ensure our survival, we need an effective democracy: we need a social council!”
Theodore Schnarr, speaker of the Last Generation, shows a way out: “We are still on course for a health emergency of previously unknown proportions. Since our government lacks the will and courage to urgently change course, we are calling for a society council to be convened as a random meeting to develop the next steps towards zero emissions by 2030.”
The WHO report on COP26 states: “Burning fossil fuels is killing us. Climate change is the greatest health threat to humanity.”[1]
The committed people sitting on the streets today can no longer accept this danger and are calling on their colleagues and fellow human beings to stand together against the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of this century.
[1] WHO's 10 calls for climate action to ensure sustained recovery from COVID-19: www.who.int/news/item/11-10-2021-who-s-10-calls-for-climate-action-to-assure-sustained-recovery-from-covid-19
Color at the RWE campus in Essen
Government in the stranglehold of fossil companies
Painted Nierobisch and Christopher Sappock after them
sprayed orange paint on the facade of the RWE headquarters using a fire extinguisher
(c) Last generation
Essen, August 8.2.23, 10, 00:XNUMX p.m – Two climate activists today sprayed the headquarters of the coal giant RWE with orange paint using prepared fire extinguishers. Together they held a banner that read: “Art. 20A GG = protect lives” in the sky. They will no longer accept that fossil fuel companies like RWE are trampling on our fundamental rights while also receiving support from the federal government.
Painted Nierobisch was already in prison in Munich because he peacefully rebelled against the deadly business as usual. He explains why he continues to resist with determination: “The government is obliged to secure the livelihoods of future generations! But she doesn't. Lützerath was destroyed - by the greed of this corporation behind us! Lützerath was destroyed, but the coal remains in the ground. Fossil fuels, more carbon in the atmosphere, means death. We stand up against it!”
Despite nationwide protests, the village of LĂĽtzerath was completely destroyed a few days ago in order to expand the Garzweiler II opencast mine. Burning the coal below, which, according to independent reports and contrary to RWE's claims, is not needed for Germany's energy security, would exceed any climate goals by far. [1]
Christopher Sappok, who also sprayed paint on the RWE facade today, emphasizes: “The government is failing to free itself from the stranglehold of fossil fuel corporations as collapse draws ever closer. The greed and lies of the richest 1% must no longer be placed above science and the common good for a second. To ensure our survival, we need an effective democracy: we need a social council!”
By calling for a social council, supporters of the last generation nationwide are interrupting everyday life that is leading us to climate collapse. They all share the opinion of the renowned climate researcher Stefan Rahmstorf: “It would be a planetary tragedy if we had almost prevented the worst - but the human catastrophe occurred because we hesitated in the crucial years instead of acting with full strength and determination.” [2]
[1] Coal is not needed under LĂĽtzerath (bund-nrw.de)
[2] Climate change: These are the most dangerous tipping points in the climate – DER SPIEGEL
Passau/Stadelheim, February 07.02.2023th, 09, 00:XNUMX a.m. – After a peaceful traffic blockade in Passau yesterday, Micha Frey is in preventative detention for 14 days. Yesterday, citizens of the last generation in 16 German cities called on members of the Bundestag to convene a social council.
Micha Frey (24 years old) took part in a peaceful Last Generation protest yesterday in Passau together with four other citizens. He was the only one who managed to fix his hand on the street with superglue. He was sentenced to 14 days of preventive detention at a judicial hearing in Passau that same evening. He is supposed to serve preventive detention in Stadelheim Prison. At the beginning of November he was taken into preventive detention for a week.
Micha Frey explained before his arrest:
"We are peacefully blocking a road because the federal government is not fulfilling its duty to protect our livelihoods and those of future generations. Because our government is not even meeting its own, far too lax, climate targets. In view of worsening droughts, heat, floods and the impending collapse of our democracy in the climate catastrophe, I see it as my duty to provide peaceful resistance for our survival. "
Aimee van Baalen, spokesperson for the Last Generation, on the renewed preventive detention in Bavaria: “Once again, peaceful protest is preferred to be locked away instead of finally accepting our offers to negotiate and responding appropriately to the climate catastrophe as a threat to our civilization. Yesterday's protests in 16 German cities showed us that more and more citizens are realizing that they are part of the last generation before the tipping points. We will not be deterred by the threat of fines, preventive detention and attacks against us on the street. "
Last Monday, citizens in 16 cities took part in Last Generation protests, including Berlin, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Emmendingen, Hanover, Heilbronn, Jena, Kaiserslautern, Kempten im Allgäu, Cologne, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Munich, Passau and Reutlingen .
In Berlin, a driver drove over the foot of a citizen, and other citizens of the last generation were dragged off the road by drivers [1].
What is your climate policy, Mr. Merz?
Mainz, February 02.02.2023nd, 16.00, XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. – Two supporters (21 and 49 years old) of the last generation interrupted the New Year's reception of the Mainz CDU at Erbacher Hof today. During the speech from Party leader Friedrich Merz, they glued themselves to the stage and accused him of irresponsibility and inaction in the face of the climate catastrophe. The New Year's reception takes place 10 days before the mayoral election in Mainz.
“They knew about it and still fueled the crisis! What is your climate policy, Mr. Merz? You don't have a plan! We are the 99 percent! We need a social council.”the two women shouted loudly. Their disruption is intended to wake up politics and society in the face of the acute climate emergency. The banner “Art. 20A GG = Protect Life” names the violation of the constitution that the government has committed daily through inaction for decades until today.
The way Friedrich Merz and the CDU are dealing with the climate catastrophe is an example of German political failure. While he downplays or keeps silent about the life-threatening consequences of global warming, he warns at every opportunity about possible restrictions through climate policy measures. He consoles the population with the distant hope of saving technologies. This behavior at the expense of future generations plays into the hands of fossil companies. [1]
Anna Fassbender (21), a sociology student from Mainz, justifies her protest with a view to society as a whole: “Few corporations are fueling the catastrophe and profiting from it. They bribe politicians with their billions in profits and hijack our democracy. In the end, 99 percent of the population suffers from the collapse, which is financed by an influential percent: illnesses, wars, hunger, flight and death are the consequences. We as a society must stand up now and do something about this injustice. We are all the last generation capable of doing this!”
It is clear to the majority of the population that Germany must take more decisive action against the destruction of our livelihoods in the event of climate collapse. [2] The government is obviously failing to implement this will of the majority. That is why the Last Generation is calling on the government to set up a social council that will develop urgently needed climate neutrality measures on a democratic basis and adopt them in a binding manner. Until then, it will disrupt everyday life nationwide and confront people peacefully and decisively with the approaching catastrophe.
[1] CDU: Laschet, Merz, Röttgen – who would be the best chairman for the climate? - THE MIRROR
[2] Despite Corona: Environmental and climate protection remains a top issue for Germans | Federal Environment Agency
Of course, we can understand that negative feelings are triggered - especially among ecologically conscious people - when last generation protesters get on a plane. Many of us feel this way.
At the same time, here we are again. A fly in the ointment was found. As expected. And yet, in view of the catastrophe that we, as the last generation before the tipping points, are trying to prevent, it is always sad.
What happened until now:
A person who demonstrated against the destruction of our livelihoods was due to stand trial in Stuttgart on Tuesday. By agreement with the court, he stayed away. He is currently in Thailand to stay there with his girlfriend for many months. The Bild newspaper headlined thisstern: Climate adhesives fly to Bali.
Was the word “Thailand” too long for you? Did “Bali” sound more outrageous?
Individual behavior is not unimportant, on the contrary. Here in Germany, a large proportion of people are among the richest percent in the world, who have contributed and continue to contribute the most to the climate crisis. A political decision must be made to change this. Given the short time available, the determined, peaceful and joint protest is essential to stop the catastrophe.
Getting politically involved against climate collapse often goes hand in hand with changing your own life. However, it is not a requirement to do this. In particular, it does not influence how right or wrong demands made to the federal government are.
But if there was any doubt as to whether people who eat meat, drive cars or take long-haul flights can take to the streets with us against the government's violation of the constitution, then we would like to dispel that: Yes!
And let's be honest:
Isn't it a double standard to be a "climate chancellor" and to dump LĂĽtzerath?
Isn't it a double standard to find climate protection important but not to want to have wind turbines in Bavaria?
Isn't it a double standard to sell highway expansion as a solution to the climate crisis? To see racing on the highways as freedom, a freedom for which others have to pay with their lives?
If we wait until everyone behaves in a climate-conscious manner without them having to, then we will go over the cliff. We invite everyone to now look away from each other - and to what is really important: How do we manage to survive as a society? Let us come together and decide democratically in a social council how we can make this possible.
Traffic court day interrupted
Violations of the law by Wissing and the government must be stopped
Maria Hess interrupts the closing event of the traffic court day on January 27.01.2023th, XNUMX. (c) Last generation.
Goslar, January 27.01.2023, 12, 00:XNUMX p.m – Supporters of the last generation interrupted the closing event of the 61st traffic court day in Goslar today. Before the closing words of the President, Prof. Dr. Ansgar Staudinger, they climbed onto the stage with banners and called on the experts in traffic law and traffic safety present to consider climate and therefore human protection in all their discussions and decisions. They made it clear: In order to protect people from the catastrophic consequences of global warming, a rethink is urgently needed in all areas, not least in the transport sector.
The German Traffic Court Conference is an annual conference for road traffic law. It is relevant nationwide because its recommendations are often taken into account in politics when drafting laws and regulations. [1]
Maria Hess stood in front of the lectern today and appealed to those present: “They are also part of this society that is racing towards climate catastrophe. Use your influence on politics! Call on the Minister of Transport to set speed limits for motorways, country roads and towns. Call on politicians to curb car traffic. Demand a real transport transition!”
Click here for the full video.
The transport sector is one of the largest German CO2 emitters and therefore a driver of the climate catastrophe. The responsible ministry is not complying with the legal obligation to reduce emissions and will once again miss the already low targets by 2022 million tons of CO11 in 2. [2] [3] Even the simplest free measures, such as the introduction of a speed limit on German motorways, are not being implemented.
According to the study recently presented by the Federal Environment Agency, speed limits as an immediate measure would make it possible to save much more CO2 annually than previously thought: 6,7 million tons of CO2 annually, on the motorways alone, with a speed reduction of just 120 km/h. [4]
Not using this savings potential is a criminal policy failure at the expense of future generations and contradicts the requirement of our constitution to protect the natural basis of life for future generations (Article 20a GG). Germany's largest environmental association - BUND - no longer wants to accept this violation of the law by Volker Wissing and filed a lawsuit against it three days ago. [5]
The Last Generation calls on the government to return to the ground of the constitution and invites everyone to work together to protect our fundamental rights.
[1] German Traffic Court Day - Wikipedia
[2] Climate protection in transport | Federal Environment Agency
[3] News overview - Transport sector misses climate target again in 2022 - (agora-verkehrswende.de)
[4] Speed ​​limit on motorways: CO2 savings apparently higher than expected | tagesschau.de
[5] Because of missed climate targets: climate activists sue the federal government | zdf.de
Yesterday, Wednesday, January 25.01.2023th, 09, the main hearing against four Last Generation supporters took place at 00:24 a.m. at the Nuremberg District Court. The two women and two men, aged 65 to XNUMX, were summoned to court for taking part in a peaceful road blockade last year.
The extremely high sentence demanded was extraordinary. According to the will of the public prosecutor should be suspended. In his closing speech he even spoke of “particularly severe coercion” and blamed the people involved “anti-democratic behavior” .
The chairwoman contradicted this judge decided. She confirmed that the defendants for “good and right goals” protest. Instead of nine months in prison, she only imposed a small fine of 40 daily rates.
Much to the dismay of the public prosecutor. The presiding judge had to repeatedly reprimand the public prosecutor and interrupted his bold interventions with clear words: “I’m in charge here!”, “Back off with your salutation!”, “Do you want to withdraw my mandate to ask questions now?”
Maya Winkelmann (24), one of the people involved in the protest explains after the hearing: “Even if we think it's a shame that the judge's courage wasn't quite enough for an acquittal today, we can count it a success. There is controversy over whether citizens in our country are allowed to intervene when the federal government breaks its own constitution.”
“The breach of Article 20a of our Basic Law can no longer be ignored. Through our protest, the courts and the public have to deal with this. That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve.”, continued Winkelmann.
Last Generation supporters assume that the public prosecutor's office will appeal against today's verdict. Regardless, the climate catastrophe continues to worsen and so their protests will continue. The last word is far from spoken.
With these words Andy Neumann begins his report on the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley. Neumann is a police officer. When the water rose, he thought he was prepared and put his children to bed in the evening. As always.
But then the water came, pushed through the windows into the living room, climbed the stairs to the top floor. Neumann was seized by fear. Fear that his wife and children would die. The fire department advised them to climb onto the roof, but rescue was not possible from there either.
There was panic in them until the levels began to fall.
Neumann and his family survived.
But 180 people died.
Scientists later said: Without the climate crisis, the flood would not have happened.
The floods in the Ahr Valley are burned into our memories. But people are dying every single day because of the climate crisis.
These are old people who dehydrate in their homes on hot days and are suddenly too weak to call emergency services. Pregnant women suffer more miscarriages due to the heat. People with asthma struggle with breathing difficulties, and young children in particular suffer. Around a third more people die on extremely hot days than usual. In the summer of 2022, around 100.000 people died from heat in Europe.
While the richest 1 percent on Lake Starnberg, in the Odenwald, in Berlin-Steglitz retreat to their shady gardens, migrant districts like Berlin-Neukölln suffer from the heat island effect: narrow, urban spaces heat up even faster than the surrounding area, the heat There are traffic jams in the streets, students struggle to concentrate in the classroom and lose educational opportunities in the process.
In East Africa, 36 million people are suffering from a drought that has been going on for years, and someone dies of hunger every 48 seconds. A third of Pakistan was flooded.
The climate crisis is here. Just as the oil company Exxon predicted in an internal memo in 1981: burning fossil fuels “will lead to catastrophic consequences in the future.”
Exxon already knew about it back then. Just like the oil multinationals Shell and British Petroleum. What did the CEOs do? They put the studies in the drawer and began to attack the truth. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars a year, produced false studies, attacked climate scientists and journalism, and spread the lie that there was no global warming. And not only were they successful, they also made good money from it. Three billion dollars in profit a day. Around one percent of global wealth.
“With all this money you can buy any politician and any system,” says Belgian researcher Aviel Verbruggen.
And that's what they do: Corporations have learned to manipulate our representative democracy. This has been shown again and again over the past decades: in the successful campaigns that hid the fact that smoking causes cancer. In the successful campaigns that conceal the fact that the weed killer glyphosate is harmful. This is evident again in the climate crisis.
Christian Lindner receives up to fifteen thousand euros for speaking engagements, his clients include fossil fuel corporations such as E.ON, and he makes at least half a million euros a year in additional income. No wonder he leaves climate protection to “the market”.
Friedrich Merz worked as a lawyer for Ruhrkohle AG and also lobbied as a politician against the phase-out of fossil fuels. 13 people work in Germany's lobby organizations, and fossil fuel companies are among the largest donors.
The bitter result:
The expansion of renewable energies is being sabotaged.
RWE employees write laws for the Ministry of Economics.
The federal government pays 70 billion in subsidies to fossil fuel companies every year.
That means: Corporations are hijacking our democracy – and no one is doing anything about it.
Not “climate chancellor” Olaf Scholz.
Not “Climate Minister” Robert Habeck.
Especially not Volker Wissing.
In doing so, our government is breaking applicable law, our Basic Law - in April 2021, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in a landmark decision that Germany's emissions must decrease. Immediately. Not sometime after 2030. But that's not happening. We continue to race towards the 1,5 degree limit, beyond which lurk the climate tipping points: the Arctic is melting. The Gulf Stream comes to a standstill. The Amazon is dying. And with it our climatic balance.
“I'm telling you that we are pushing our children into a global school bus that has a 98% probability of fatal accident,” says Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, world-renowned climate researcher and founder of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
But the government is shirking. Putting it off until later, always finding new excuses.
And yes, the transition to renewables was delayed. Yes, energy security is needed. Yes, jobs are needed. But all of this would be possible with renewable energies. But the government is unable to counteract the influence of corporations like RWE. She is failing in her responsibility to protect our lives.
That's why it's time for our democracy to become more democratic. It's time for power to move away from the 1 percent and towards the 99 percent. It is time for citizens to be able to decide for themselves about climate protection.
We want those affected by the climate crisis to finally make the decisions. While the 1 percent are already using their wealth to create emergency plans for the day when hunger and wars occur and are building bunkers in New Zealand, we depend on the state to take precautions to address the climate crisis.
That's why we demand: a binding social council that will work out how Germany can achieve zero emissions by 2030.
Here, people from all sections of the population in Germany come together and, with the help of experts from politics, business, science and civil society, develop binding suggestions on how things can move forward.
Vegans and car fans discuss common solutions because they also have a shared interest: protecting the basis of life on this planet and shaping the path there in a socially just way.
The government has written into the coalition agreement: “We will set up and organize citizens’ councils to address specific issues through the Bundestag.” We take them at their word, because role models from France, Ireland and Belgium show that the format unites people in their efforts and produces constructive approaches.
We call on the federal government to set up a company council and implement its decisions. We demand that we, the 99 percent, finally be allowed to have a say in the preservation of our livelihoods.
Because it has been shown that wherever citizens are allowed to have an informed say about their fate, a better, safer, fairer world awaits us.
Proof:
Report of the floods in West Germany:
Andy Neumann – It was just rain!?
Impact of the climate crisis on floods in West Germany
Dangers for old people in heat waves
Excess mortality and heat waves
Excess mortality and heat waves 2
Effect of heat on cognitive performance
ExxonMobile and climate studies
Oil company profits and how they buy influence
Christian Lindner receives lobby money:
Annika Joeres, Susanne Götze – The Climate Dirt Lobby, p.191
Christian Lindner's additional income
Friedrichs Merz lobbies for fossil companies
The expansion of renewable energies is being sabotaged
RWE employees write laws for the Ministry of Economics
Judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court
The survival plans of the super-rich, bunkers in New Zealand
Coalition agreement and citizens' councils
on the Franconian Expressway in Nuremberg. They are holding a banner
with their demand “Save food – Save lives”.
(c) Last generation.
Maya Winkelmann is one of the accused persons: “It is not particularly likely that such an extreme condemnation will occur. But of course this threat serves the purpose of intimidating climate-conscious citizens. It was to be expected that this would happen sooner or later, but it's still sad. We have a problem when people who simply demand compliance with Article 20a of our Basic Law are intimidated in this way."
"In any case, we will plead for acquittal. The climate catastrophe is now a matter of life and death. We hope that the court is prepared to recognize that our actions are also legally justified under the justified emergency. There have already been similar judgments, for example in Flensburg last autumn.“, continued Winkelmann. [1]
Berlin Fashion Week interrupted
– Dream world in the shadow of catastrophe
Berlin, June 18.01.2023, 15, 50:XNUMX a.m – Today two Last Generation supporters interrupted a Berlin Fashion Week show at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. During German designer Anja Gockel's show, they took to the catwalk with banners. With this disruption between clothes and glamour, they want to draw attention to the harsh reality of out-of-control global warming.
Melanie Guttman (27) explains why she is bothering today: “The glittering world of Fashion Week is in stark contrast to the collapsing world outside. While the models float down the catwalk in elegant dresses, people far away from luxury hotels are suffering the cruel and inevitable consequences of 1,2 degrees of global warming.”
She continues: “We must not pretend that these two worlds are separate. Art and fashion have always been an expression of what moves us. Let’s create a society in which art and fashion put the salvation of all that is beautiful and valuable at the center of their work!”
Carla Rochel (20), who also hit the catwalk today, adds: “I can understand if we are completely enchanted by the glamour, the clothes and the beauty. But we also take refuge in a sweet dream world. Those present here can afford it. Others bear the costs.”
It is clear that rich people are primarily responsible for climate-damaging CO2 emissions. The richest percent of the world's population alone causes around 15 percent of global emissions. That's twice as many as the entire poorer half of the population - and the gap is widening. [1]
At the same time, it is precisely the rich who can best protect themselves against the consequences of their actions. They can retreat to well-air-conditioned villas, flee to safer areas on private jets and still buy food and water even in extreme situations of shortage. Poorer people in particular will be the first and hardest hit by the climate catastrophe. [2]
Carla Rochel demands: “The government can no longer allow itself to be bossed around by the rich one percent. They must take responsibility for the 99 percent who elected them as their representatives. For decades our society allowed itself to be driven towards the abyss by coal bosses and gas giants. We cannot continue down this path. Let’s finally live our democracy and fight together for a future worth living!”
[1] Climate change: The rich have the highest CO2 emissions (contrast.at)
[2] Climate change – causes and consequences – Welthungerhilfe
To the Constitutional Court for climate justice
For Johann is certain: “The government is acting criminally. It is knowingly breaking the Paris Agreement and maneuvering us into a catastrophe from which there is no escape. The fact that I and so many others who point out this political failure are being punished is absurd and unacceptable.”
He further explains: “The regional court decided to punish me for my protest against the government’s violation of the constitution. I cannot and will not simply accept that. Ultimately, we will give the Federal Constitutional Court the opportunity to determine that disruptive protests are appropriate in the face of the climate emergency.”
We are already having to mourn thousands of deaths from heat in Europe. [1] One drought follows another all over the world, causing countless people to starve, die of thirst or sink into hopeless poverty. The suffering caused by the climate catastrophe is already beyond imagination.
Wolfgang Lucht, renowned German physicist and geography professor in the field of climate research and chair of the Earth System Analysis Department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research wanted to testify in court today as an expert. He planned to explain why it is necessary to stop the federal government's deadly course. The court rejected this, saying what he could testify was not fact.
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, is indignant: “The court is turning a blind eye to the crisis and does not want to recognize the dramatic nature of the climate catastrophe, let alone take it into account in its deliberations. It is clearly shirking its responsibility.”
She resolutely adds: “The next step for us is the appeal; sooner or later the constitutional complaint will follow. It is then the Federal Constitutional Court's turn and must decide what means we as a society still have to fight for our survival. We are giving him the opportunity to continue his jurisprudence from the 2021 climate ruling.”
Peaceful sit-in with yellow LĂĽtzerath crosses in Berlin,
A100 Stegelitz junction, January 13.01.2023, 7, 40:XNUMX a.m. (Photo: Last Generation)
Turning point: civil society is coming together
Road blockades in Berlin
Berlin, October 13.1.2023, 7, 45:XNUMX a.m – Today, supporters of the last generation in the south of Berlin are once again bringing car traffic to a standstill in several places. In front of the protesters there are yellow wooden crosses in the shape of an "X" - a protest symbol of the environmental movement for decades - today also a sign of the defense of Lützerath in the Rhenish lignite mining area against the energy giant RWE.
Yesterday, Thursday, celebrities, leaders of major environmental organizations and activists from the Fridays For Future movement also resorted to means of civil resistance - many for the first time.
Luisa Neubauer and Pauline BrĂĽnger from Fridays For Future, the authors Katja Diehl and Milena Glimbovski, the actors Bjarne Meisel, Pheline Roggan and Anton Spieker, presenter and influencer Louisa Dellert, the musicians Charlotte Brandi and Francesco Wilking and Christoph Bautz, Managing director of Campact, Olaf Bandt, BUND chairman, Martin Kaiser, federal chairman of Greenpeace - they all peacefully blocked the access road to LĂĽtzerath together with around 100 other people. [1]
Carla Rochel, Press Spokesperson for Last Generation, said:
"In LĂĽtzerath, our Federal Republic decides for or against sufficient climate protection. Climate protection does not come in chunks because there are tipping points from which there is no turning back. The fact that so many people are now resorting to civil resistance who have never done so before marks a turning point. Civil society is coming together and saying loud and clear: 'LĂĽtzerath is the red line. We will not allow our livelihoods to be sold off."
Supporters of the last generation are currently continuing their street blockades in Berlin and joining the peaceful democratic resistance in LĂĽtzerath. Yesterday, supporters of the last generation glued themselves to an access road to LĂĽtzerath, which is currently mainly used by the police. [2]
Together with the “Lützerath Unräumebar” alliance, the Last Generation is calling for the large demonstration on Saturday, January 14.01th. and a day of civil resistance on Tuesday January 17.01th. on. [3]
[1] twitter.com/Ti_Wag/status/1613500849363329026?s=20&t=_3EHbs5Gwa_v-s78msDQpA
[2] twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1613555126198849536?t=o7JMm5fwRCkJMliwVcYBFg&s=19
[3] luetzerathleben.info/aktionsbuendnis
Sonja Manderbach in front of the Tiergarten district court
(c) Last generation
300 days in prison – mother should go to prison because of a technicality
Berlin, 12.01.23/08/00, XNUMX:XNUMX – On Wednesday January 10.1th a trial at the Tiergarten district court comes to an abrupt end. Sonja Manderbach took part in the Last Generation protests several times - she has lodged an objection against the subsequent punishment orders and wants to hear her case in court. In the middle of the trial, the judge in charge looks for formal errors and finds them. It breaks off the current negotiation and subsequently declares another negotiation that has already taken place invalid. The defendant is now in custody for 300 days.
When Sonja Manderbach appeared at the Tiergarten district court on Tuesday, she was prepared for a main hearing. The church musician and mother of a 15-year-old daughter has taken part in several protests and blockades that brought traffic to a standstill. There is an accusation of coercion - an offense that, according to the police union, can also be viewed as a minor offense depending on the situation [1].
Out of nowhere, the presiding judge then announces: Sonja's objection will be rejected due to a formal error. The signature on the objection was not correct. The digital signatures do not fully comply with the regulations - it is better to choose the classic postal route. The judge apologizes that she “missed it” last time.
Due to this formal error, the six penalty orders are now legally valid. As a result, Sonja has to pay 300 daily rates of 40 euros each - 12.000 euros or 300 days of substitute imprisonment in prison.
Sonja Manderbach remains clear in court: “I won’t pay a fine. Either they acquit me or I go to prison. The headwind from the courts only strengthens me. It will not go unnoticed by society that I and others of the last generation will be punished disproportionately harshly because we want to save our fellow human beings from the deadly consequences of unchecked climate catastrophe.”
The legal situation is far from clear. Similar allegations led to an acquittal in a trial in Freiburg [2]. In three cases in Berlin, several judges have refused to issue punishment orders to supporters of the last generation - in their detailed reasons, they see such protests and road blockades as "not reprehensible" in view of the "objectively urgent situation" in view of the climate catastrophe. Demonstrations are “annoying, but essential for the democratic constitutional state.” [3]
From her Daughter gets Sonja Manderbach Support and support for their protest. Based on her favorite film, she encourages her mother: “It is as Dumbledore says: there are dark, difficult times ahead. Soon we will all have to choose between the right path and the easy path. You have chosen the right one. That is not always easy. But it’s right that you do this.”
This morning, supporters of the last generation are also peacefully blocking car traffic in Berlin and risking fines and prison sentences for doing so. They do this in the knowledge that it is right to resist continuing the climate catastrophe and thus knowingly destroying our livelihoods.
[1] Petty crime
[2] Last generation: Road blockades: climate activist acquitted in Freiburg | TIME ONLINE
[3] Blockades of the Last Generation: Judicial Resistance – taz.de
Last generation supporters are stopping this morning
car traffic at the A100-N junction Steglitz / Berliner Str.
Road blockades against destruction
Government is selling away our basic rights
Berlin, 10.01.23/07/30, XNUMX:XNUMX – In Berlin, supporters of the last generation are stopping car traffic today and thus the fossil-fueled everyday life that is driving us towards climate catastrophe. Once again they are carrying yellow crosses, showing their support for the protests against the demolition of the village of Lützeraths for the RWE open-cast coal mine.
Eika Jacob is a mother of four children. For them too, she is sitting on the street today: “We have arrived in the middle of the climate catastrophe. 2022 will go down in German history as the hottest year ever. The new year starts with temperatures sometimes over 20 degrees in January - what kind of future are we sending our children into? I will not stand by and watch the destruction continue!” [1]
The small village of LĂĽtzerath is a symbol for the whole world. It is right on the edge of a coal mine. A dead lunar landscape in which coal excavators work every day to destroy our livelihoods. A coal company has decided that this destruction serves its interests.
The government is now helping him to feed society the lie that LĂĽtzerath must be destroyed because we absolutely need the coal underneath to secure our energy supply in the short term.
This lie is easy to see through. It would take at least three years before the coal would even be used under LĂĽtzerath, because the coal warehouses are full. Not a single study by independent institutes comes to the conclusion that we need coal in the short term. [2]
Carla Rochel, spokesperson for the Last Generation, said: “With the dismantling of Lützerath, our basic rights are being sold off to RWE in an insidious way. The government is selling us the dirty deal under the guise of caring. This is hard to beat in terms of absurdity, since by choosing to support corporate interests and against protecting our livelihoods, they are massively violating their duty of care towards the population.”
She adds: “Herbert Reul still claims that we are a minority that is fighting back. In contrast to the federal government, which is failing miserably at this task, we represent the majority of the population. No one wants to give up their freedom and their life for the greed of corporations!”
[1] 2023 begins with record heat in Europe: where will it end? – daswetter.com
[2] FAQ about LĂĽtzerath alle-doerfer-halten.de
Mirjam Herrmann and Kim Schulz enter the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office
with the petition for self-disclosure.
After some of the PCK's Brandenburg pipelines were shut down in the summer of 2022, the public prosecutor's office investigated the Last Generation on suspicion of forming a criminal organization and carried out nationwide house searches under this pretext.
Mirjam Herrmann In October, he threw mashed potatoes onto Monet's “The Grain Stacks,” which was protected by a glass pane, in order to interrupt the powerless everyday life that is steering us towards climate catastrophe. Today she presents the petition with hundreds of signatures to the public prosecutor's office and turns herself in on site.
“We cannot allow the government to continue to close its eyes to the incomprehensible destruction caused by its decisions and are therefore offering unignorable resistance. Instead of breaking out of the deadly business-as-usual approach, the government is now using all available means to silence us. What she apparently still hasn’t understood is that we are fighting peacefully for our survival – how are these absurd threatening gestures supposed to intimidate us?”
In Berlin, supporters of the last generation brought car traffic to a standstill again today. They once again carried yellow crosses as a symbol of solidarity with the resistance in the village of LĂĽtzerath and made it clear: corporate interests must not be placed above the will and well-being of civil society.
Miriam Meyer has already turned off PCK pipelines and was in prison for peaceful road blockades in Munich. Today she was sitting on the BeusselstraĂźe motorway exit.
“I cannot believe that I am being locked up for not silently accepting the destruction of our livelihoods for profit, while PCK, RWE and Co. continue to burn and bulldoze everything that comes their way unhindered. We live in a democracy! The government should act as a representative of the interests of the population, not as a stooge of fossil companies!”
In a statement in August, RWE itself stated that one reason against preserving the village of Lützerath was that otherwise “there would be motivation for further blockades”. [2] The planned demolition of Lützerath is also an attempt to prevent democratic resistance from civil society. The government is supporting this project with alarming enthusiasm.
Yesterday the police stopped a coach from Hamburg on the way to a registered, peaceful demonstration in LĂĽtzerath. The almost 50 travelers were searched and prevented from continuing their journey for hours. [3]
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, asks irritably: “Are all people who dare to speak out against the destruction of our livelihoods now under general suspicion? How can it be that a constitutional state turns against the civilian population in order to protect corporate interests? Who are the real criminals here?”
[2] anlagen_rwe_probe_0.pdf (wirtschaft.nrw)
[3] Lützerath protests: Hamburg police block bus with climate activists – DER SPIEGEL
As a sign of support for the protests
against the demolition of the village of LĂĽtzeraths for the RWE open-cast coal mine
The protesters are holding yellow crosses today.
Here on the A100N-Tempelhofer Damm.
Yellow crosses for LĂĽtzerath
Protests against coal mining also in Berlin
Berlin, June 6.1.2022, 07, 45:XNUMX a.m – Protesters hold yellow wooden crosses with one hand while the other hand is stuck to the road. Supporters of the last generation are currently blocking various motorway entrances in three locations in the south and west of Berlin. They carry yellow crosses and thus show support for the last generation of protests over coal mining in the village of Lützerath in North Rhine-Westphalia. The site is to be completely demolished in order to access the brown coal underneath.
The attack on LĂĽtzerath is deeply affecting. By demolishing the village, a home is being sacrificed for profit interests in two ways. If LĂĽtzerath is razed to the ground, an entire village will initially lose its home.
In addition, the 280 million tons of coal under LĂĽtzerath will further fuel the climate catastrophe and exceed any climate goals by far - thus destroying our homes. However, unlike the villagers, humanity as a whole has no way of escaping this destruction.
Judith Stier sits today on a motorway entrance in Berlin Tempelhof. She carries a yellow cross in front of her that is almost as big as she is: “The fact that entire villages are being excavated is only in the interests of the coal bosses. Ultimately, the catastrophe will affect them too and they will realize that they cannot live on money alone. But then our home is already irretrievably lost. Instead of protecting people's homes in Germany, the government is doing the dirty work of RWE and Co - I cannot and will not accept that."
As WDR quoted from a study by several research institutes in the summer of 2022, coal under LĂĽtzerath is completely irrelevant for Germany's energy supply. [1] Nevertheless, the federal government repeats RWE's refuted figures at every opportunity. The electricity company continues to claim that coal is urgently needed under LĂĽtzerath.
Carla Hinrichs, speaker of the Last Generation, can only shake her head: “Asking RWE how much coal we should burn is like asking a cigarette manufacturer how much we should smoke. Coal combustion is and remains the number one climate killer. Dredging away entire villages for even more coal, the burning of which will drag us even deeper into climate catastrophe - that is a human and ecological disaster. "
RWE is not only lying to the population and the government for its own profit, but is also deliberately endangering the future of all of us. Instead of taking action, the government is repeating the lies and complicit in the crime.
Supporters of the last generation will peacefully and resolutely defend the basic rights of the population alongside the local people. The right to live in freedom and prosperity – the right to a future. These fundamental rights are not for sale.
[1] Study: Brown coal not needed under Lützerath – state politics – news – WDR
Lina Eichler at road blockades – Last generation
Berlin, June 05.01.2023, 15, 00:XNUMX a.m – Lina Eichler stood before the Tiergarten district court today. She should answer for criminal orders in three cases in which she peacefully protested against the climate catastrophe. Two of the proceedings were discontinued. A third trial will be separated and treated separately because none of the witnesses called for this appeared.
Lina Eichler expressed himself in court: “Let's ask ourselves who the real criminals are: those who irretrievably destroy our livelihoods or those who draw attention to it? I have done the deeds listed here. I did this knowing that I would be in court for it. My actions are necessary in view of the climate catastrophe that is facing us all."
Lina Eichler took part in the Last Generation protests early on. In August 2021, she went on a hunger strike with six people. She refused food for 20 days in order to have a public conversation about the climate emergency. There was a conversation with Olaf Scholz. But even in front of the cameras, the future Kimak Chancellor only knew the motto 'blocking and empty words' [1].
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes it clear in its latest report that effective measures must be taken now to protect humanity from catastrophe. There are less than two years left for this [2].
UN Secretary General António Guterres finds drastic words: “We need much more than the promises made in Paris, and not even those have been implemented. We are seeing record temperature rises, rising sea levels, record concentrations of greenhouse gases. We need to reverse this trend because things are getting dramatically worse." [3]
Lina Eichler therefore sees itself as having a duty: “We are not the last generation on this planet, but we are the last generation that still has an influence on the extent of this catastrophe. And that's why we're unignorably disruptive! We are the alarm! We are sounding the alarm because things cannot continue like this."
[2] IPCC report: global emissions must peak by 2025 to keep warming at 1.5°C – we need deeds not words
[3] Interview with Guterres: “Climate change is faster than us” | tagesschau.de
Lina Eichler at protests in front of the RWE headquarters in Essen on December 10.12.2022th, XNUMX
– Image rights: Carsten Wickern
The Last Generation is building the construction site in front of the Ministry of Transport
There is a banner above the construction work in front of the Ministry of Transport that reads: “2022 was just the beginning”.
Kai Arne Springorum stands today in front of the Ministry of Transport with a jackhammer and symbolically breaks the road to a destroyed future.
He explains: "While we talk about shower times and who drives how much, fossil fuel rich people fly over our heads in private jets, sabotage every debate about the energy transition and thus destroy our democracy. They have already pushed us so far down the path into the flaming abyss that the smoke stings our noses. It is high time to shatter this deadly path once and for all.”
The influence of the fossil fuel lobby extends to all decision-making levels. At last year's World Climate Conference, lobbyists for oil, gas and coal were represented in greater numbers than the ten countries most affected by climate change combined. [1] The result: an exit from oil and gas was not even mentioned in the final declaration.
In Germany too, fossil fuel companies have been influencing political decisions for decades, ignoring democratic majorities and knowingly endangering billions of human lives for quick profit. [2]
This can currently be seen impressively in the village of LĂĽtzerath: The decision to evacuate the town, which began yesterday, is based on figures from RWE, the DAX company with the highest CO2 emissions, and incorrect calculations. [3] [4]
At the same time as the protest in front of the ministry, supporters of the Last Generation are blocking two more streets in Berlin today.
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, warns: “Forests burned, rivers dried up, people lost their homes, one heat record followed the next - but 2022 was just the beginning of the disasters. The current political course is leading us full speed into climate hell. We will irrevocably lose all the freedoms that Transport Minister Wissing and his party colleagues advocate so passionately if cities become uninhabitable, food runs out and our economy collapses completely.”
She emphasizes: “We will not blindly follow the road to the abyss. Like the people in Lützerath, we stand in the way of this madness - creatively, courageously and full of hope. 2022 was just the beginning of the resistance. We will continue to disrupt everyday life and bring our resistance to all areas of society in large numbers and with determination. If we want to survive, we finally have to tackle this construction site together!”
[1] Report: At COP27 there were a quarter more lobbyists for oil, gas and coal than in 2021 | STERN.de
[2]Lobbyism slows down climate protection: problematic proximity between the fossil fuel industry and politics | Lobby control
[3] Which DAX companies pose the greatest climate risks – Globalance Invest (globalance-invest.de)
[4] According to new calculations: The coal under LĂĽtzerath is not needed - energy future
Huge success for the Vienna State Police Department:
The fire alarm is off!
Vienna, 01.01.23/14/XNUMX, XNUMX p.m. - On the occasion of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, the Vienna State Police Department has today delivered a serious blow to organized climate protection. Concerned citizens of Last Generation Austria were successfully prevented from raising the alarm in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein and holding up a banner with a desperate warning to gathered top politicians:
Two more years
Two more years until 2025. In two years at the latest, emissions of greenhouse gases must fall quickly and drastically. Otherwise there is a risk of a global catastrophe of unimaginable proportions – that is what the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says [1]. So two more years in which desperate people have to be monitored and arrested until the collapse of our livelihoods is finally unstoppable.
We are on track: While corporations and governments present the population with a greenwashed ideal world, all emissions records were broken again in 2022. According to UN Secretary-General Guterres, humanity is “on the highway to climate hell, and has his foot on the accelerator”.
Clear priorities
Anja Windl, 25, an aspiring psychologist, is one of the people escorted out of the concert today: “The facts have been clear for decades, and new oil and gas is still being drilled in 2023. In Germany, Lützerath, an entire village, is to be excavated for coal. Austria is investing billions in new highways. You always tell us that we young people are important – but how am I supposed to believe that when you care more about private jets and big cars than our lives?”
Of course young people are important. Who else will serve the super-rich in their bunkers when the world around them collapses? Who should work all their lives for little wages in order to produce and maintain this unimaginable luxury for the 1‰?
Auch Leolitta Erdmann, 66, retired nurse, was thrown out of the building by police. “What else has to happen for this society to finally wake up? We are on the verge of triggering dangerous tipping points in the climate system and turning the earth into a hostile hell for generations. This government does not have the climate crisis under control - Austria continually misses its climate targets and breaks international agreements. Do Nehammer and Kogler even have a plan?”
As today's events show, this plan does exist. A plan to finally silence the fire alarm so that political and economic elites can continue to celebrate their own failures with champagne and caviar. Meanwhile, the hut continues to burn - but that doesn't bother anyone anymore. The latest forecast from the economic research institute gives Austria a damning report - the total volume of climate and environmentally harmful subsidies has actually increased since 2016. There is a risk of a further increase in emissions from 2024. Plus Wifo economist Mark Sommer: “The trends that can now be observed do not point towards climate neutrality”.
Background information:
The UN no longer sees a credible course on which the 1,5 degree limit can still be maintained. According to the recently published environmental report, radical social change is needed to limit the worst consequences of the climate crisis.[1] All IPCC scenarios show that we will reach 1,5 degrees around 2030.[2] [3] When the 1,5 degree limit is exceeded, five climate tipping points are likely to be triggered, and five more can also be triggered from this point onwards. The self-reinforcing effects, which humans can no longer control, drive the temperature much higher, so that by missing the 1,5 degree limit we are automatically heading for 2-3 degrees of global warming. Which in turn promotes the tipping of other elements. [4]
UN climate chief Simon Stiell addresses the United Nations with clear words: “Governments’ decisions must now reflect the urgency and the small window of time we still have to avoid the devastating consequences of unchecked climate change.” [5]
[1] Climate crisis: UN finds 'no credible pathway to 1.5C in place' | Climate crisis | The Guardian
[2] Analysis: What the new IPCC report says about when world may pass 1.5C and 2C – Carbon Brief
[3] 148cb0_544aaa3eb24e450ca39c1f9ea5b0f6e7.pdf (climaterealitycheck.net)
[4] World on brink of five 'disastrous' climate tipping points, study finds | Climate crisis | The Guardian
[5] UN report: World is “nowhere near” the 1,5 degree target – Environment, Agriculture & Climate – derStandard.at › Economy
2022
New Year's wishes from JVA-Stadelheim
It is time for society to be decisive and courageous!
Charlotte Schwarzer, who turns 25
since December 21.12st held in the Stadelheim JVA.
(c) Last generation.
Don't go into the good night calmly.
Burn, age, rush when the twilight lurks.
On the deathbed let anger be doubled.
This beginning of a poem came to mind while walking in the yard this morning. It's Christmas morning, December 25th, 2022. There are four of us in a collection cell in the women's prison in Munich. We're not going into the good night calmly. We cannot possibly sit quietly and watch as humanity watches the world die.
We can't yet feel the demise of everything we hold dear here, but it dawns on all of us that we'll be racing towards this night with business as usual, with waiting and dead silence. It's not a good night. It won't be a gentle death. It will be more like burning alive when thousands upon thousands of people have to flee areas that are no longer habitable; when we can no longer grow grain, when wars break out. Then more people will no longer be calm, because then the climate catastrophe will be the biggest crisis that overshadows everything and connects everything. And then it will be too late.
I don't mean to say that humanity will then become inhumane. On the contrary, I know that in the biggest crises we can act in the most humane, most social way. But do we have to let it come to this to find our humanity again?
No.
We must stop being complacent now because we are now on our deathbed. Everything about this future will be decided in the next 2-3 years. And unlike in the poem, this is not the time to be angry. Determined, courageous and, for a change, a little idealistic instead of sullen, that's what we have to be now.
We are in prison at this reflective time of year out of love for all people and in search of hope. But we will only find this hope and the change we need together as a society.
Happy New Year!
Charlotte Schwarzer
Charlotte Schwarzer on December 21.12.2022, XNUMX
with 11 other supporters from the last generation
on Ampfingstrasse in Munich.
(c) Last generation
Over 1.300 self-reports to the public prosecutor's office
Supporters of the last generation publicly acknowledge their commitment to life
December 27.12.2022th, 8, 10:1.332 a.m. - Using the hashtag #wirallesinddielastgeneration, at least 129 people informed the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office over the holidays that they consider themselves part of the last generation. The authority, which is under the instructions of the Ministry of the Interior, recently had eleven apartments of supporters of the last generation searched because it accused them of “forming a criminal organization”. Since the supporters clearly assume that the Basic Law, human rights and also Section XNUMX of the Criminal Code "Formation of a criminal organization" are on their side, they have now informed the public prosecutor's office about their involvement in the group in order to conduct a full investigation to accelerate.
The lawyer was among the first to self-report Mathis Bönte from Münster. “The Neuruppin public prosecutor’s office is pursuing the #LastGeneration as a criminal organization. I don't want to be left out, so I turned myself in. Anyone who raises the alarm about the climate crisis is not endangering public safety.”, he writes in a tweet [1]. In the attached email to the public prosecutor he explains his legal argument: In the face of “existential danger to human civilization” posed by the climate catastrophe, civil resistance is not only legitimate, but also covered by the German constitutional state, says Bönte [2].
This view meets with some agreement in the fieldwelt: In a joint statement, legal associations and movements, such as the association “Republican Lawyers and Lawyers e. V.”, whose members include Chancellor Olaf Scholz, stated that they supported the accusation of a criminal organization unjustified and disproportionate hold [3].
In total, 382 people used a form on the Last Generation website within five days to officially declare their support [4]. A petition in which the signatories certify their involvement in the Last Generation simultaneously collected 950 signatures [5] (as of December 26.12.2022, 6). There are also citizens who have contacted the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office by other means. For example by email, by phone call, as seen in this video [XNUMX] or like Jesuit priests Dr. Jörg Alt who together with Prof. Dr. Stefan Bauberger self-reported to the Nuremberg Mitte police station [7].
It remains to be seen whether house searches will follow for all of these citizens.
At the same time, continue to sit eight Supporters of the last generation in Munich Prison and spend the Christmas holidays in a cell.
Speaker of the Last Generation Carla Rochel notes: “Our democratic protest is absolutely necessary when you see that we are racing towards a climate catastrophe completely unprotected. Instead of investigating peaceful citizens, the government should rather take initial security measures such as the 9-euro ticket or a speed limit of 100. Who is a criminal here? We have nothing to hide because we are doing the right thing!”
[1] twitter.com/MathisBoente/status/1605542061888921600?s=20&t=8fJm5DH4KfneusVJxRFdzg
[2] www.hrr-strafrecht.de/hrr/archiv/21-04/index.php?sz=6
[3]
www.rav.de/publikationen/mitteiligen/mitigung/klimaschutz-statt-repression-verhaeltnismaessigkeitsgrundsatz-gilt-auch-im-umgang-mit-der-lasten-generation-915
[4] Version of 26.12.2022/XNUMX: 382
[5] Version of 26.12.2022/XNUMX: 950
[6] twitter.com/Kims_Speech/status/1605659606323286016?s=20&t=2bQ9Ga48DVUUnmFPXHq3lA
[7] twitter.com/JoergAltSJ/status/1605541423268257793?s=20&t=8fJm5DH4KfneusVJxRFdzg
Christmas in prison cells
Ten people locked up after peaceful road blockade
Judith Beadle and Julian H. sit on December 19.12th. together
on the street at Munich's Stachus.
Munich, Berlin, December 22.12.2022nd, 9, 00:XNUMX a.m – Ten more Last Generation supporters have been locked up in Munich since yesterday. After yesterday's road blockade, peaceful protesters between the ages of 18 and 63 have now been placed in preventive detention for several weeks. That means eight people will spend Christmas alone in prison cells while the government continues to violate the constitution with impunity and drive us toward climate catastrophe.
One of them is Judith Beadle. The 42-year-old mother of two was held without trial for several weeks in November and December. Now it stays until January 05.01th. imprisoned in the Stadelheim JVA. She did not take the risk of being separated from her daughters at Christmas lightly, but she did so consciously.
She explains: “This is one of the last Christmases when we can still reflect and take responsibility for ending the destructive course. Only then can we continue to come together in peace with our families and friends in the future. I would rather forego a Christmas with my children now than see their future being robbed from them.” Further background to Judith's story can be found in her Portrait to read.
Politicians are still using the tactic of locking up those who sound the alarm instead of finally responding appropriately to the climate emergency.
Together with Judith, the following people are currently in preventive custody in Bavaria:
Julian H., until January 05.01th in custody, the 18-year-old's great passion is mathematics. He is ambitious and knows that the careers of many mathematicians are as short as those of professional athletes, but the destruction of livelihoods scares him and gives him no peace.
Lina Schinkothe, until January 05.01th in custody, the 21-year-old is the oldest of four siblings. She is determined not to allow the government to deprive her younger siblings of any prospect of a future.
Vincent Schäfer, until January 05.01th in custody, for the 19-year-old from Munich and a philosophy student, it is not enough to just look at ethics theoretically, you also have to act accordingly.
Charlotte Schwarzer, until January 05.01th in custody, the 25-year-old spent almost a month in the Stadelheim prison in November because of her peaceful protest. Now she wants to remind the federal government that it is time to stop violating our constitution.
Winfried Lorenz, since December 06.12th. in custody and will be there until January 05.01th. stay, the 63-year-old is a dance teacher and owns a small printing shop in Berlin.
Leander G., until January 01.01st. in custody, the 21-year-old comes from the Harz region. The huge areas of dead trees there already show what climate catastrophe means in concrete terms.
Raphael Voellmy, until December 24.12th. in custody, the 25-year-old grew up in Switzerland and is studying in Passau.
Simon Lachner, until December 24.12th. in custody, for the 25-year-old solar technology engineer and uncle of a one-year-old child, Christian values ​​such as solidarity and charity are particularly important.
Merita Pira (22), until December 30.12th. in custody, the 22-year-old comes from Kempten in the Allgäu. Concern about democracy in Germany and the billions of people who will have to flee because of the climate catastrophe is driving her to act - even at Christmas.
Alexander K. until the 24.12.
More determined people are taking the protest to the federal capital today and are currently blocking the A100 Hauptstrasse exit in Berlin.
Christmas tree sawed down at the Brandenburg Gate
Just the top of the Christmas tree
Christmas tree and lifting platform in front of the Brandenburg Gate
(Image: Last Generation)
Berlin, Munich, December 21.12.2022, 9, 50:XNUMX a.m – In a last generation protest, the top of the Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate was sawn off. With the help of their own lifting platform, two women reached the top of the 15-meter-high Nordmann fir, which is located centrally on Pariser Platz. Using a hand saw, they separated the top two meters from the rest of the tree. A banner attached to the lift promises: That's just the top of the Christmas tree.
“So far in Germany we are only seeing the tip of the underlying catastrophe.” explained Lilly Gomez with the sawn-off top of the Christmas tree in his hand. “While the whole of Germany spends the week stocking up on the best gifts from the biggest stores, others are wondering where they will get their water to drink from after droughts and floods wiped out their crops. Climate collapse in Germany is just around the corner and the federal government is making no moves to protect us."
The climate catastrophe is an avalanche that is currently gaining momentum. Once it's started, it's almost impossible to stop it. While empty promises continue to be made, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the frequency of extreme weather continue to rise. [1] Germany is already warming up significantly faster than the global average. [2] If the government continues to do nothing effective, we will be overwhelmed by the avalanche and buried under it.
Aimee van Baalen, Speaker of the Last Generation: “We are already noticing how thin the ice we are walking on is. Any further warming creates more cracks and uncertainties. We can no longer rely on the security of our livelihoods. That’s why our peaceful resistance will not stop at Christmas and in the New Year.”
At the same time there are further protests Bavaria near Munich Ostbahnhof. Supporters of the last generation have already ignored the decreed restriction on the right of assembly [3] in Ampfingstrasse in the past few days. For them, it may mean spending this Christmas in a cell instead of with their family. But pretending to be normal while the state breaks its own constitution and tramples on the human rights of the young generation would be even more unbearable for them.
[1] Rising CO2 emissions: alarmingly more greenhouse gases year after year | Climate change | Climate | Environment | Knowledge | ARD alpha
[2] Climate change: Where did Germany warm up the most in 2022? | National Geographic
[3] Right of assembly: Munich restricts climate protests for a month | TIME ONLINE
Stachus blocked again
“We are the last generation before the tipping points”
The lettering “Last generation before the tipping points” and “Art. 20A GG = protect lives” their banners denounce the federal government's breach of the constitution through its lack of willingness to act in the climate emergency.
Several of the protesters who gathered today were only released from the Stadelheim prison last Saturday.
Among them is also Judith Beadle. The 42-year-old is a mother of two and has already been in preventive detention in Bavaria several times. She was held without trial for several weeks in both November and December. She consciously takes the risk of spending Christmas in a cell instead of with her loved ones.
Here is a portrait of Judith
“I love my children – and that’s exactly why I’m sitting on the street today”, describes Judith. “1,5 degrees are a thing of the past, we are racing towards a world far beyond this life-threatening limit. Our children are left without any guarantee of safety. We are currently depriving them of their last chance for a future worth living.”
It's still touching Brief [1], which she wrote during her second imprisonment in the prison: “I would like to write as usual with hope and confidence, but all I feel is fear. Fear that people will give in to repression again over the holidays, that it will continue like this next year, that the weeks and months will pass and we will suddenly reach the point where our last chance to save our future has passed.
What will it feel like to look back, in disbelief that we knew everything and chose to ignore it rather than act?”
In Berlin there are also blockades near Beusselstrasse in the Moabit district. On the motorway access to the A100, supporters of the last generation stuck themselves to the cold asphalt and caused severe traffic restrictions.
Aimee van Baalen, Speaker of the Last Generation: “The government’s timid efforts to achieve a little more climate protection are a complete debacle. Fossil companies continue to be supported by the government and political decisions are made in their favor. The tipping points are getting closer and closer – either we do everything we can to survive now or the climate catastrophe will overwhelm us.”
Announcement of Stachus blockade
We'll carry on, come what may!
This Saturday, seven Last Generation supporters were released from the prison after two weeks of preventive detention. Two others will also spend Christmas in custody. The reason for their deprivation of liberty is their peaceful disruption of public life, with which they are calling on the federal government to adhere to Article 20a of the Basic Law and its own climate protection promises.
However, instead of taking appropriate steps, there is now a ban on gatherings in which participants fixate themselves on the street. Several thousand euros in fines were threatened if the climate-conscious citizens violated this. In view of the thousands of people who have lost their lives to the consequences of global warming this year alone, the supporters of the Last Generation will not be intimidated. They openly announce that they will gather at Munich's Stachus on Tuesday, December 20.12th at 08:00 a.m. and continue to resist. [1]
The threat of renewed preventive detention also holds Judith not stop from blocking the Stachus again on Tuesday. The mother of two was locked up in the Stadelheim prison for almost the entire month of November: “The government has known for years that we are in the middle of a climate catastrophe. We mourn the flood victims and suffer from the scorching heat. And these are just harbingers of disasters that will threaten the prosperity and lives of all of us."
"I will continue, come what may! Quitting is not an option. If we fail to remind the government of its primary duties, our entire society will fail."
The government has signed the Paris Climate Agreement and committed to taking concrete steps to limit the global temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius, if possible below 1,5 degrees, compared to the pre-industrial era [2]. These limits were deliberately chosen because they are the scientifically identified danger area. From just 1,5 degrees, the risk of triggering tipping cascades increases massively. These would then push the earth into a hot period of 4 degrees or more without human intervention.
The 1,5 degree limit will be missed around 2030. The German government also hesitated for too long. Our society is already inevitably heading into the red zone, where any step further into it could have unforeseen and deadly consequences. Therefore, all necessary measures must be taken as quickly as possible to guarantee the safety of the population. Simple concrete steps would, for example, reintroduce the 9 euro ticket and a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways. Both measures together would be practical from tomorrow save more CO2 than the city of Stuttgart consumes.
These measures would reduce dangerous CO2 emissions while promoting social cohesion. Because the 9 euro ticket means freedom for many people. You can prioritize climate protection every day and at the same time visit relatives for the first time again without worrying about the end of the month when you might not have enough money. The Taz wrote: “Deutsche Bahn belongs to the state and therefore to all citizens. But for decades the high ones, in some cases horrendous prices ensured that social selection was carried out here.[..] The 9 euro ticket therefore only highlights what Deutsche Bahn could be: a comfortable, contemporary, climate-friendly and socially just means of transport."[3]
this morning the Spandauer Dam
and were partially pulled off the road
(Image: Last Generation)
Berlin, October 17.12.2022, 14, 50:XNUMX a.m - During today's blockade at Spandauer Damm, several interested citizens came to support.
Lilli Gomez, which stuck itself to the road today, explains: “It gives us courage and hope to see how much support and encouragement we receive, even though heavy artillery such as preventive detention and early morning raids are being brought out against us. The federal government must finally act to preserve our livelihoods. More and more people are recognizing the need for peaceful civil resistance in the face of the climate catastrophe and are opposing the unconstitutional policies that are driving us into the abyss."
In addition to the support on site in Berlin today, there has been a wave of solidarity and outrage over the Neuruppin public prosecutor's investigation against the Last Generation in the last few days.
The accusation of being a criminal organization according to Section 129 makes it possible to monitor peaceful protesters even into the most intimate areas. Supporters should be intimidated and fear that they will also be included in the investigation. Instead, there is currently a wave of support. In addition to many environmental associations and NGOs, over 350 teachers and other educational actors openly declare their solidarity with their names [1].
Carla Rochel, Last Generation spokesperson explains: “We are pleased about the great support of teachers who deal every day with a generation that is rightly afraid for their future in a world of hunger, war and displacement. Will the Neuruppin public prosecutor's office now also investigate these teachers for supporting a criminal organization?"
The teachers’ statement states, among other things: “As teachers, we are confronted every day with the worries and fears of young people who are deeply frustrated by the extent to which politicians are gambling away their future instead of pulling the emergency brake. We would like to explain to these students that those in power are doing everything they can to create a future worth living for them and future generations. Instead, we have to explain to them that the government itself is disregarding the Basic Law. "
Our children will no longer be able to defend themselves against the fact that their future is being recklessly burned down today. We do. We are all the last generation that still has the future in our hands.
blocking the Spandau Dam this morning
and were partially pulled off the road
(Image: Last Generation)
After Berlin MPs failed to provide them with answers yesterday, as seen in a published video [1], today peaceful citizens are once again demanding honesty and initial protective measures in the event of a climate emergency.
Johanna Höhn explained: "Today I'm sitting here on the Spandauer Damm and blocking car traffic here because we are racing unchecked into climate catastrophe and that and the government's concealment of this fact scare me enormously. The government is fulfilling its obligation to protect its own population, even after being ordered by the Federal Constitutional Court [2] not after. We have a right to answers – instead of prison!"
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation invites you to an action tomorrow, 14 p.m., at the remains of the Wall at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin: “It is long overdue for us citizens to come together and resist climate injustice here and around the world. On Saturday we invite everyone to come to our blockades. Civil resistance is the most effective method we have left if we are determined to join many in the streets. Anyone can come by and show solidarity. Anyone can join in. Glue is provided! "
speaker Aimee van Baalen emphasized: “The federal government is not providing answers to the climate emergency. Instead, the government stands by as people who highlight this failure in the climate crisis and peacefully protest for our survival are locked up and treated like a criminal gang. Meanwhile, our peaceful resolve is growing stronger because we see that even house searches and prison cannot break the outpouring of support and solidarity with us."
The last generation also draws this self-confidence from a great wave of solidarity. In numerous articles, statements and open letters, individuals, groups and associations across Germany condemn the government's handling of its responsibility in the approaching catastrophe and the criminalization of the last generation. [3]
Thomas Beschorner, director of the Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, summarized in Die Zeit why the protest is necessary: ​​“Everything is not okay in our order”. [4]
In the face of the greatest danger that humanity has ever faced, we cannot accept this situation without resistance.
[1] Asked before the Bundestag – YouTube
[2] www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Press Releases/DE/2021/bvg21-031.htm
[3] Some expressions of solidarity:
Protecting the climate is not a crime; Joint statement on the debate about the criminalization of climate protests; Climate protection is not a crime;
Climate protection is not a crime – Teachers for Future eV
[4] Climate activism: Without a troublemaker, there is no progress | TIME ONLINE
Lisa Winkelmann wants to know directly from them: “Why don't you protect our lives and introduce the simplest safety measures, such as a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways? You can't negotiate with tipping points. We don't want to hear excuses or lip service. The majority have already recognized the threat. When will the government start pulling the emergency brake? "
Two thirds think environmental and climate protection is important, but politicians ignore this clear majority [1]. They are not enforcing any measures that will save us the path to climate catastrophe. Instead, the answer is massive incarceration and absurd bans in an attempt to criminalize the protection of life and society.
António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, finds direct words for the failure of politicians: “The really dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing fossil fuel production. Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness.”
The path that politicians are currently taking will be the last path for civilization. We are already seeing that the consequences of the climate catastrophe are affecting us all. Summer droughts destroy crops, making food even more expensive and scarce. Pumps will not be able to pump water if everything dries up and people die of thirst.
Jacob Beyer, spokesman for the Last Generation, cannot understand why people's lives are not being protected. “Instead of finally introducing measures that protect all of our lives, politicians are relying on the expansion of further fossil fuels. With the liquid gas terminals in Wilhelmshaven, Germany will not achieve its climate goals [2]. Instead, we are racing at full speed through the stop sign that scientists have been pointing out for decades. "
That's why we're asking politicians today why initial security measures are not being introduced and all of our lives are knowingly being put in danger.
If our resistance bothers them so much that they try to criminalize it, why don't you put an end to it? To do this, they just have to do the most important thing of all: start protecting all of our lives.
[1] www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/service/archiv/umwelt-und-klimaschutz-besser-1899276
[2] www.klimareporter.de/technik/statt-elf-gasterminals-reichen-drei
The action shows the absurdity of the preventive general order against sticky gatherings issued by the Bavarian capital on December 09.12.2022th, 1. This prohibits any protest in which climate activists fix themselves on the street. [XNUMX]
The people of the last generation are not deterred by bans and prison sentences - nine supporters are still in preventive detention in Bavarian prisons.
“The adhesive ban doesn’t change anything. We will continue to stick ourselves on Munich's streets as often and with as much glue as necessary. Banning a democratic form of protest simply shows the government's inability to adequately respond to the impending climate hell and to comply with our simple, vital safety measures. The resistance will continue. You can’t ban people who want to protect the constitution.”, says Last Generation speaker Jacob Beyer clear.
Antonia Vollbrecht, who was bathing in Kleber today near the Prinz-Carl-Palais, explains: “We take to the streets every day for the survival of our children. It is absurd to think that we could be prevented from this vital project by simply banning it. It's five to twelve - we can't wait until the dikes break. I would rather sink in glue now than in impending flood disasters.”
In July 2021, thousands of people lost their entire existence due to the floods in the Ahr Valley - and more than 130 of them also lost their lives. [2] According to scientists, the impending climate collapse is partly to blame for the flood disaster. [3] Extreme weather events such as flash floods and record rainfall are the inevitable consequence of the federal government's irresponsible policies.
A few hours earlier, motorway exits were peacefully blocked in four places in Berlin. The demands for initial security measures against the impending climate collapse remain unchanged: the return of the 4 euro ticket and a speed limit of 9 km/h on all German motorways.
Speaker of the Last Generation Aimee van Baalen wonders: “When will someone finally stop the federal government from actively fueling the climate catastrophe? When will someone stop huge corporations from destroying our livelihoods? We continue to forbid our obedience in a system that is killing us! What will you do?"
[1] Actions by climate activists: Munich bans adhesive protests | tagesschau.de
[2] Video: State ceremony for flood victims: Rhineland-Palatinate remembers the more than 130 dead | tagesschau.de
[3] www.klima-allianz.de/news/detail/die-flutkatastrophe-im-juli-2021-in-deutschland-und-die-klimakritik
Resistance on the streets of Berlin
“Do we want to survive?”
Berlin, October 12.12.2022, 08, 15:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation are still severely disrupting traffic in the southwest of Berlin today. The protesters peacefully blocked various motorway entrances in the capital in five locations. They resolutely oppose the government's current course, which is sending us hurtling full speed into climate catastrophe.
In addition, it has Ernst Hörmann, 72 years old old and grandfather of eight grandchildren, today chained to a Berlin sign bridge. He explains :"We are confronted with the greatest danger to humanity, the possible collapse of our civilization! There is no longer any neutrality. We all have to ask ourselves the question now: Do we want to survive?”
At the same time, nine people are currently in preventative detention in Bavarian prison cells because they do not want to blindly follow the deadly path to catastrophe.
speaker Aimee van Baalen emphasizes: “A large part of the population recognizes the government's failure and is demanding initial safety measures, such as a stricter speed limit on motorways. [1] More and more people are willing to engage in civil resistance out of necessity. The only response to this is to lock many of them away. But even prison cells are losing their horror in the face of the impending climate catastrophe. We finally need the first necessary measures to protect ourselves – the government must finally realize that!”
Representatives from almost 200 countries are currently meeting in Montreal at the UN Biodiversity Conference. Here too, failure is looming. [2] Biodiversity and climate protection are closely intertwined. It's about preserving our livelihoods. UN Secretary General António Guterres called on the participants to work to protect nature and thus humanity. He made it clear: “Only by investing in planet Earth can we secure our future.” [3] Before the conference, the Federal Environment Minister emphasized Steffi Lemke, “Clear steps” would have to be defined in order to achieve the desired goals. [4]
Jacob Beyer, spokesman for the Last Generation, appeals: “Instead of clear steps and investments in protecting lives, the government is giving us new gas deals and fossil fuel contracts that are further fueling the climate catastrophe. We must not stand by and watch our last chance for a safe one The future will be lost! Come with us to Munich and Berlin and let’s resist peacefully together!”
[1] Survey: Climate change and financial crisis are the biggest concerns for Germans – WELT
[2] Berliner Tageszeitung – Environmental activists warn of failure of negotiations at space conference
[3] (1) António Guterres on Twitter: “No excuses. No delays. It's time to forge a peace pact with nature. #COP15 t.co/D8C37gQVOd” / Twitter
[4] Lemke: Put 30 percent of the earth under protection – ZDFheute
Color at RWE headquarters – Stop the fossil fuel madness
Essen, August 10.12.2022, 14, 10:XNUMX p.m – Supporters of the last generation sprayed the RWE headquarters with paint today. Instead of finally pulling the emergency brake and initiating the necessary change, the federal government continues to support fossil companies and their shareholders.
Lina Eichlerwho is currently spraying paint on the RWE facade in Essen:
“The government is promoting fossil fuels and making the rich richer [1]. At the same time, the population is suffering from immensely rising prices and we are racing uncontrollably towards climate collapse. We need investment in a secure future, not in a dying industry. The first safety measures are now needed, such as a speed limit of 100 km/h as a sign from the federal government that it is finally taking the threatening situation seriously.”
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation, explains one consequence of the political failure:
"We started our actions this spring with 30 people. Now there are 700 of us and the number is increasing every day. According to Deutschlandtrend, a large proportion of those eligible to vote are so concerned that they believe it is justified to block roads (14%) and to occupy factories, industrial plants or offices (21%) [2]. That’s more people than voted for the SPD in 2021!” [3]
The energy sector is currently responsible for two thirds of the greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate and is therefore the most important driver of the climate catastrophe [4]. The state holds a protective hand over huge fossil fuel corporations that drive people out of their homes and knowingly destroy the livelihood of all humanity.
RWE plans to extract over 600 million tons of coal from the Garzweiler opencast mine and, with the support of the NRW state government, to destroy the village of LĂĽtzerath [5].
In contrast, 11 people have already publicly announced civil resistance and signed the following declaration of intent: “If the state government wants to clear Lützerath and demolish it, I will be there and stand in the way of the destruction.” [6]
“The willingness for civil resistance against the deadly business as usual is growing every day. Attempts, like the latest one from Munich, to prevent peaceful protests are no more deterrent than fines or prison cells.”, explained Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation. “There is no longer any neutrality. Don't stand idly by and watch as fossil companies burn down our future in the slipstream of the government. Support those who stand up for our rights: Come with us to Berlin and Munich!”
[1] www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/wirtschaft/rwe-gewinn-energiekritik-100.html
[2] www.tagesschau.de/inland/deutschlandtrend/deutschlandtrend-3221.html
[3] 60,4 million German voters; of which 21% = 12,684 million www.bundeswahlleiter.de/info/presse/mitigungen/bundetagswahl-2021/01_21_wahlrechte-geschaetzt.html
The SPD was elected by 11.955.434 citizens in the last federal election. www.bundeswahlleiter.de/bundetagswahlen/2021/projekte/bund-99.html#zweitstimme-prozente12
[4] www.bmz.de/de/themen/klimawandel-und-entwicklung/energie-und-klima
[5] www.bund-nrw.de/themen/braunkohle/hintergruende-und-publikationen/braunkohlentagebaue/garzweiler/
[6] www.x-tausch-luetzerath.de/
Further preventive detention – blockade in Berlin
“The climate is in danger of tipping over”
Supporters of the last generation are currently blocking in Berlin
the A100-N junction Steglitz / Berliner Str.
Berlin, Munich, 9.12.2022, 8: 40 – Since yesterday, another 6 supporters of the Last Generation have been in preventive detention in Bavaria. One is in the hospital, where the detention hearing is scheduled for today. Since the beginning of the week, four more citizens in Bavaria have been preventively locked up for up to 30 days. The following are currently in preventive detention in Bavaria: two climate protectors until December 11.12.2022th, 17.12.2022, six until December 5.1.2022th, XNUMX, two until January XNUMXth, XNUMX.
Meanwhile, courage and determination remain unbroken: supporters are still blocking streets in Berlin today. The reason: The climate is threatening to tip. But what does that mean?
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation, said: “We are faced with the shards of our future. This year was marked by droughts of the century in East Africa, deadly floods in Pakistan, devastating fires in the USA, Australia and Europe. The world today is on average around 1,2 degrees hotter than in the pre-industrial era. This leads to an increase in extreme weather events. [1] ”
And further: "We have known for decades that we must drastically reduce our CO2 emissions so that global warming does not progress uncontrollably. Researchers have been warning about the catastrophic consequences of the climate policy failure of governments around the world for just as long. The more dramatic the situation becomes, the more urgent the warnings become. The UN no longer sees a credible course for maintaining the 1,5 degree limit [2]. If they are exceeded, it is likely that climate tipping points will be triggered, the self-reinforcing effects of which cannot be controlled by humans [3]. "
Henning Jeschke, co-founder of the movement, continues: “Extreme weather events will occur even more frequently in the future. Many areas of the world will no longer be habitable. They will regularly be under water or be so hot that no human can survive there. Crops are destroyed and former cultivated areas are no longer usable. Billions will lose their homes. An incredible number of their lives. Fights for food, water and habitat will break out. The incredible suffering that results from this is unimaginable."
And further: "Meanwhile, the German government is building new gas terminals, signing contracts to promote fossil fuels and blocking even the simplest security measures in the fight against climate catastrophe. This course not only endangers the future of current and future generations. He's already killing people. He lets them starve, die of thirst and drown in floods. He robs children of their parents and parents of their children. And we all know that."
Meanwhile, the reaction of politicians to the peaceful protests of the last generation is telling: people who raise the alarm about the climate emergency are locked away, described as a danger to our democracy, which they are defending. The constitutional state is pooling its resources against climate protectors, while armed Reich citizens are planning a coup [4].
But even in the face of violence, punishment and prison, we remain courageous, peaceful and determined. For survival. For all.
[1] public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/eight-warmest-years-record-witness-upsurge-climate-change-impacts
[2] www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/climate-crisis-un-pathway-1-5-c
[3] www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/08/world-on-brink-five-climate-tipping-points-study-finds
[4] Armed citizens of the Reich: Raid due to planned coup | tagesschau.de
Supporters of the last generation in front of the airport in Munich
Airports in Berlin and Munich blocked – In a climate emergency, actions are needed instead of empty words
Berlin, Munich, December 08.12.2022th, 9, 45:XNUMX – Air traffic came to a standstill at two of Germany’s largest airports today. Supporters of the last generation stuck themselves on the tarmac at Munich Airport. At the same time, several protesters found their way onto the Berlin BER airport grounds. In doing so, you are directly opposing an important, heavily government-subsidized contributor to the climate catastrophe. The local police were informed shortly before entering the airport premises.
speaker Aimee van Baalen expresses himself decisively: “In a burning world there is no longer any neutrality. We can no longer watch in silence as a few empires drive the world into the abyss and devastate our common livelihood on the backs of everyone. We are always ready for constructive discussions, as was the case yesterday with the Bavarian Interior Minister. But what we need in the face of impending climate hell are actions and not just empty words.”
Aviation is the means of transport for the richest 10% of the world's population and at the same time the climate killer par excellence. [1] It's not just the billions of tons of CO2 that are caused by aircraft every year: the climate-damaging effect of further aviation emissions and fine dust in the atmosphere increases the damage caused threefold! [1] At the same time, the state subsidies for the aviation industry in Germany just by waiving kerosene and VAT every year twelve billion euros. [2] The cost of a permanent 9-euro ticket that enables mobility for all people would be significantly lower. Lack of understanding, indignation and resistance are the only justified responses to this deadly and socially unjust policy.
The 59 year old Michael Winters had already been in preventive detention in Bavaria for weeks for his peaceful resistance and today he still went onto the Munich runway. He calls on his fellow human beings to take a stand: “How do you decide? Will you stand by in silence while the government steers us into a deadly hot period or will you join us in the streets? Now, more urgently than ever, we finally need the first simple and socially just measures: a 9-euro ticket that enables mobility for everyone, and a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways.”
As long as the government blocks even the most basic security measures, the resolve of the Last Generation will not waver. There are also peaceful road blockades in several places in Berlin today. There are also four people from the last generation in prison in Bavaria who were taken into preventative detention without a trial. Two of them until January 5.1.2023th, XNUMX.
[1]
www.zeit.de/wissen/umwelt/2019-05/flugverzicht-klimapolitik-emisions-verkehrung-privileg
[2] www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/freising/foerderung-des-luftverkehrs-ein-undurchtreibes-system-1.5284449
Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, in preventive detention until January 5.1.2023th, XNUMX
30 days of preventive custody – judges disagree
Even after a year of coalition agreement, no real climate protection is in sight
Munich, Berlin, December 7.12.2022, 8, 15:XNUMX a.m – In Munich yesterday, preventive detention was again imposed on several last generation citizens. Among those imprisoned is also Wolfgang Metzeler kick (48), who was taken into preventive detention for 23 days in November and was on hunger strike.
The following are currently in preventive detention in Munich until December 11.12.2022, 23: Joel Schmitt (37 years old) and Fabian Zimmermann (5.1.2023 years old); until January 63th, 48: Winfried Lorenz (XNUMX years old) and Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick (XNUMX years old).
Apparently the judges seem to disagree about how to deal with the peaceful blockades, because this morning 6 other citizens who blocked again in Munich last night were immediately released after a judicial presentation. And this despite the fact that they honestly said that they would continue to block as long as initial safety measures such as a speed limit of 100 km/h were not implemented.
In Berlin Last generation supporters are currently stuck on the streets in several places, including Unter den Lindento express their demands for more climate protection.
Die Schauspielerin Irma Trommer explains why she is blocking traffic in Berlin today:
“It makes me angry that we have to watch as our federal government misses every opportunity to protect our livelihoods. Science has been warning us for decades that the climate is in danger of collapsing. Forests are burning and villages are being flooded - but instead of recognizing these obvious signs of the times and implementing decisive protective measures, the government is navigating us further and further towards the abyss. We must speak out loud and clear about this grievance until we are heard".
In fact, the current federal government signed a coalition agreement exactly a year ago. On paper she had acknowledged the situation: the climate catastrophe “endangers our livelihoods and threatens our freedom, prosperity and security.”[1] In practice, not even the simplest safety measures are addressed, such as 100 km/h on motorways and the reintroduction of the 9 euro ticket.
Jacob Beyer, spokesman for the Last Generation, has also been in prison in Bavaria for several weeks. He explains why he can't continue watching:
"If people are locked up to prevent protest and at the same time liquid natural gas terminals are built to fuel climate collapse, then there is no longer any neutrality. Either we decide to comfortably carry on as usual and, as a result, cause unimaginable suffering for all of humanity, or we sit down together at the table and turn things around. We are waiting for a sign that the federal government is committed to securing our livelihoods, as agreed in the coalition agreement. "
[1] P. 4 in the coalition agreement: www.bundesregierung.de/resource/blob/974430/1990812/04221173eef9a6720059cc353d759a2b/2021-12-10-koav2021-data.pdf
Again traffic disruptions in Munich – protest only ends with effective climate policy
Munich, September 06.12.2022th, 08, 30:XNUMX p.m – The protests of the Last Generation in Munich do not stop. After the Stachus was paralyzed four times yesterday alone and supporters of the last generation blocked the Munich motorway in seven places, people are gathering again today at Karlsplatz and on Munich sign bridges. The government's deadly course towards climate catastrophe is forcing them to continue peaceful protests.
Judith Beadle is the mother of two children. She was only recently released from weeks of preventive detention and also took part in several blockades yesterday. Today she is sitting on the street again. For them it is clear: “There can be no neutrality in a climate emergency. Everyone has to decide! Do we want things to continue like this, which inevitably brings suffering and destruction upon us, or do we protect the safety and lives of current and future generations?"
Yesterday there was a lot of support from the Munich population at Stachus. People applauded and offered tea to those sitting on the street. A father of two even spontaneously sat down on the street and stuck himself. Over 80 percent of the German population see a great or very great need for action when it comes to climate protection. [1] The clearer the government's failure to address the climate emergency and the resulting threat becomes, the greater the willingness to rebel against it.
For Judith is certain:"We will continue and call on all our fellow human beings to join us! Together we can get the government to act!"
The state's reactions to the Last Generation are mindless. They range from absurd counterarguments to historical comparisons and months of imprisonment. Meanwhile, the determination of those blocking remains unbroken.
Stefan Rahmstorf, one of Germany's most renowned climate researchers, points out on Twitter the only effective approach against the road blockades: "Is anyone in politics actually thinking about ending the climate protests by delivering the climate policy promised in the Paris Agreement? […] The Bundestag voted unanimously for it at the time."[2]
The people on the streets only have one wish: they want the legally guaranteed safety measures promised to them to finally be taken. The climate catastrophe threatens the safety of their families and the entire survival of our democratic society. As soon as 100 km/h on motorways and a €9 ticket for buses and trains are implemented, they will immediately stop their protest.
Spokesman Jakob Beyer makes it clear: “Instead of implementing the simplest measures, the government continues to pour fuel on the fire. Blockades of the energy and transport transition as well as billions in investments in new fossil fuel projects will sooner or later drive millions of people to their deaths. It is our moral duty to resist this.”
[1] ARD GermanyTrend: tagesschau.de
[2] twitter.com/rahmstorf/status/1599321655805083648?s=20&t=iRmjSk_QcegY2ymuBjOv-w
Munich Stachus blocked – No neutrality in the climate emergency!
Munich, September 5.12.2022, 8, 30:XNUMX a.m - As announced last Friday, determined supporters of the Last Generation are once again blocking a street on Munich's Karlsplatz to demand the first security measures against the climate catastrophe. Among them are many who have already been in prison for a month and were sometimes sentenced to high fines. At the same time, people are climbing onto sign bridges in Munich, while others are blocking roads in Berlin.
Joel Smith was in preventive custody in the Stadelheim JVA for 23 days and was only released about a week ago. In the press conference last Friday, he emphasized why that wouldn't stop him from taking to the streets in Munich again: “Climate protection is the prerequisite for all political concerns. It's about preserving our livelihoods and preserving the freedom guaranteed by fundamental rights. We will not let prison sentences deter us from fighting for a good future.”
In the press conference had Schmitt announced today's road blockade and his participation in it. He turned to his fellow human beings: “We can bring about the change that is needed. We call on everyone who does not want to accept the government’s climate failure to join in and join in.”
speaker Aimee van Baalen clarifies: “Today, our peaceful resistance is once again being responded to with disproportionate severity, while discussions about its criminalization are gaining momentum. I would like to repeat what Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN, has to say about this: 'The real dangerous radicals are not climate activists, but those countries that are expanding fossil fuel production.' Everyone has to decide which side they would rather be on.”
Despite a heavy police presence, the determined people managed to sit peacefully on the street and stop the traffic.
Van Baalen clarifies: “We will not allow ourselves to be deterred from demanding that the government respect the constitution. Neither hundreds of police nor prison sentences will stop us from coming back with more and more people. In this life-threatening emergency, in which billions of human lives are acutely threatened, there is no longer any neutrality.”
She further explains: “Everyone – including politicians and the police – must now take a clear stand: Are you against peaceful citizens who are committed to the future? Do they really want to spend their energy suppressing legitimate protest and locking people away for months as a precaution? Or are they for the survival of humanity and initial safety measures, such as a speed limit on motorways, for which there has long been broad support among the population?” [1]
As long as the government continues to make unconstitutional decisions and trample on solid national and international agreements, the Last Generation will oppose this deadly course.
[1] Speed ​​limit on German motorways | Statista
Statement on threatening letters in the name of the Last Generation
Berlin, December 02nd, 2022 15:15 p.m – In the past few days, a family in Delmenhorst has received a threatening letter from unknown people, which, according to some media reports [1], they sent in the name of the Last Generation. Of course the threatening letter does NOT come from the Last Generation.
We direct our peaceful resistance to the federal government, not to private individuals. In the Last Generation Values ​​published on our website, we are clearly committed to nonviolence. [2]
On the website our values ​​under “non-violence” say:
"We are absolutely non-violent in our behavior and in our language. We appear calm and respectful, but determined and steadfast. We avoid blame and insults and do not parade people around."
Our values ​​make it clear that we never appear anonymously, but rather stand with our name and face to resist the deadly business as usual.
Threatening letters violate our values ​​and are not part of a democratic debate through civil resistance. The people who sent the letter are not part of our campaign and could not become one, as recognition of our values ​​- including respectful behavior and non-violence - is a mandatory prerequisite for this.
Since our resistance is directed at the government, which has not yet taken responsibility for the climate emergency in this last week of 2022, we will continue to resist on the streets nationwide.
Even in Bavaria, where last generation people recently spent a month in prison, citizens are once again taking to the streets peacefully on Monday. In a press conference this morning [3] we published the location and time of the road blockade:
Joel Smith (23), said at the public press conference this morning at 10:00: “This Monday at 8:00 a.m., I and many others are blocking the street at Karlsplatz heading north in Munich, directly at the Stachus (East) taxi rank. We call on everyone who does not want to accept the government's climate failure to get involved and join us. Thank you."
[1] www.rtl.de/cms/drohbrief-gegen-weihnachtshaus-in-delmenhorst-steckt-die-last-generation-dahinter-5019181.html
[2] lastgeneration.de/participate/#values
[3] Recording of the press conference at the point of the announcement: youtu.be/BYWCz9b_Idc?t=1839
Fast-track procedure after preventive detention – “It is a decision of conscience to resist now”
Munich, September 30.11.2022th, 20, 00:XNUMX p.m – After Last Generation supporters were locked up in the Bavarian youth correctional facility (JVA) Stadelheim for almost a month, a summary trial was held today against three of the twelve people involved. In connection with two blockades at Munich's Stachus on November 03.11rd. they are accused of coercion. In view of the federal government's inaction, which has left the population defenseless against the climate catastrophe, supporters feel compelled to take action.
"In an emergency such as the climate emergency, peaceful resistance through road blockades is lawful.“, they argue.
The Bavarian police's approach to imposing preventive detention on peaceful demonstrators has already caused a stir nationwide. Sharp criticism of this approach came from a wide spectrum of politics, media and civil society.
The lawyer and political scientist Thomas Schafer: "The Bavarian regulation is disproportionate in itself, but its application to the recent actions is even more so. Anyone who advocates for better climate protection and blocks traffic should not be locked away. The standards are completely crazy."[1]
Even if the long preventive detention and today's court case are likely to be bitter experiences for all three supporters of the Last Generation, all three will continue their resistance.
The Psychologist Lars Werner told the court before the verdict was announced: “I will continue regardless of what the court decides today. It is a conscience decision to resist now. My conscience prohibits me from simply standing idly by and witnessing the destruction of our society. "
Although even the public prosecutor finally admitted that the goals of the Last Generation were laudable and concern the entire society, they stuck to their demand for a punishment of 50 daily rates. At the end of the four-hour hearing, the court decided to halve this claim and set 25 daily rates.
The court today did not have the courage to recognize that civil resistance is justified when the next 2-3 years will determine the living conditions of the next 1000 generations and the government refuses to act accordingly. The supporters of the last generation will not hesitate to continue to work to ensure that secure livelihoods are preserved for as many people as possible. Starting next Monday, December 05.12th, the last generation announces that they will gather peacefully in Munich against the federal government's deadly business-as-usual policy.
[1]
www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/klimaaktivisten-ziviler-ungehorsam-hoehere-traffen-100.html
Gregor Gysi represents the last generation in court – “The impending climate catastrophe endangers the survival of humanity.”
Berlin, June 30.11.2022, 15, 45:XNUMX a.m – The trial against Lukas Popp took place today at the Tiergarten district court. There were a total of nine meetings in which the Last Generation supporter was involved in 2022. In some cases, these meetings brought traffic on Berlin's highways to a standstill. In this context, the public prosecutor accused him of coercion and resistance to law enforcement officers and, on one occasion, trespassing.
Pop sees it differently: “All I want is for current law to be implemented and for the federal government to fulfill its duty to protect the population from an impending climate hell. My resistance is absolutely legitimate in the face of this emergency."
The 24-year-old mechanical engineering student received support from one of Germany's most famous politicians: Dr. Gregor Gysi personally took over the defense of Popp in today's court hearing.
The long-time chairman of the Bundestag faction “DIE LINKE” and a member of the Bundestag for over 17 years on the drama of the climate emergency:
"I said it over ten years ago. It was true then and unfortunately even more true today. The impending climate catastrophe endangers the survival of humanity. The lives of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren depend on what we do now. It's about preventing mass suffering caused by flight, poverty, natural disasters and new types of war. In this question of humanity, responsibility and social balance must take the place of short-term profit interests. This is a question of human dignity and, as we all know, it is inviolable!"
Gysi further emphasizes: “It would certainly be more correct to take robust and massive action against those who destroy our livelihoods for their own profits
Lock up climate activists!"
For months now, more and more political voices have been loudly expressing their support for the last generation. The federal government's breach of the constitution is also unacceptable for them.
The court refrains from dealing in depth with the current climate emergency. The summons of Dr. requested by Gysi Hans Joachim Schellnhuber - one of the forefathers of climate science and founding director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research - as an expert on climate issues was rejected by the judge as irrelevant.
In his final speech, Gregor Gysi pleaded for acquittal on all charges. The public prosecutor's office had demanded a penalty of 110 daily rates. The judge ultimately decided on a sentence of 90 daily rates. Since Gysi announced that he would take legal action, the last word may not have been spoken yet.
For Luke Popp It's not the sentence that matters, because he's already dismayed by the trial itself: "I don't understand why people like me, who protest for necessary climate protection measures, are on trial and not politicians who do not comply with constitutional goals. My little siblings have the right to a secure future! The government is destroying this future before all of our eyes."
Popp would like to thank Gregor Gysi for his support and for the broad support he received for his actions from large parts of politics, art, culture and civil society.
Prisoners released – chance for climate action?
“We are preparing to open from December 5.12th. keep turning it up"
The 19 people, some of whom had been in preventive detention in Munich for almost a month, were surprisingly released today.
The Bavarian government had to give in to social pressure. This can only be the first step; now the urgently needed security measures against climate collapse are needed. We hope for this in the coming week too. We are waiting for the government to protect the people.
As announced yesterday, there will be no interruptions in Berlin and Munich in the coming week. We are closely monitoring the political changes and are ready to interact with all the people who are flocking there in the week starting December 5.12th. Turn up the interruptions further.
The released prisoners will spend time with their families in the coming days and give lectures throughout the week to share their experiences and invite more people to join the peaceful resistance.
We announce that we will meet on December 5.12th. to gather more people in Munich against the deadly business as usual. All details about the plans for December 5.12th. In Munich we will announce this next Friday (December 02.12nd) at 10:00 a.m. in a press conference on Zoom (you can find dial-in details below).
Interruption of protests
Last generation hopes for climate protection in the last week of the meeting
Berlin, November 25, 2022 18:00 p.m – The Last Generation will interrupt the protests in Berlin and Munich until the end of next week. The peaceful citizens hope for action from the government in the last week of the session and want to use the time to properly train and integrate the many people who are currently joining the movement in order to come back with even more people.
Michael Winters (59), in prison in Munich until yesterday: “We are looking forward to the last week of the session in 2022 and we are still on the direct path to our own destruction. The federal government is refusing its duty to protect people's lives and is thereby breaking the constitution."
But it is also clear: the federal government can still act – if it does so now. It's not a question of ability, but of willingness, and we can only sincerely hope that she still lives up to her responsibility. Because we are running out of time: we are about to exceed the tipping points of our climate system, which would lead to the collapse of our living space. This means: billions will live in death zones and millions upon millions will die. These are the facts.
Aimee van Baalen, spokesman for the Last Generation, announces the interruption of the protests: “I think we all - society and politics - could use a breather to calm our heated tempers a little. We also want to give the government some space to take decisive action against climate collapse in accordance with its duty. The enrichment of the few from the suffering of the many must end."
The Last Generation is calling on the federal government to take the first security measures against climate collapse: continue the 9-euro ticket and introduce a speed limit.
Theo Schnarr, also a spokesman for the group, adds van Baalen: “Of course, we will not slow down the plans of all the people who are currently streaming in all over the republic and are practicing their first road blockades. However, we can guarantee free travel and flights for the current capitals of our resistance – Berlin and Munich."
BER runway blocked – Millions of lives are being sacrificed for the profit and luxury of a few
Schönefeld, November 24.11.2022th, 16, 20:XNUMX p.m – At the moment, supporters of the last generation are blocking the tarmac at Berlin Brandenburg Airport. While some of them are stuck to the asphalt, others are riding bicycles across the shunting area, bringing air traffic to a standstill. Shortly before entering the airport premises, they informed the police of their intentions via an emergency call.
Michael Hassemer, judge at the Rhineland-Palatinate Constitutional Court, considers the resistance of the last generation to be justified by the climate emergency: “In any case, the consequences that arise for humanity from failing to take climate protection measures are so serious that impairments of rights through protest are, to a certain extent, justified by a state of emergency and are therefore acceptable."[3]
Also the CDU politician German politican recently expressed himself surprisingly benevolently and explicitly about the Last Generation: “The young people are right. […] Without the pressure from young people, politics on climate protection would move much more slowly."[4]
Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation, replies: “The fact that this pressure is even necessary, that ordinary citizens have to sit in prison cells for weeks to get the government to protect people, is dismaying."
Your peaceful resistance is directed at the federal government. This negligently puts us on a collision course with climate tipping points. At this moment, millions of lives are being sacrificed for the profit and luxury of a few through fossil subsidies, including for air travel.
The plane is not a means of transport for normal citizens. Most people - about 80 percent of the world's population - have never flown in their lives. A wealthy percent of the population alone causes around half of flight-related greenhouse gas emissions. The government supports air traffic with billions in subsidies every year. And that while we actually urgently need to switch from planes and cars to trains. [1] [2] In order to give everyone access to public transport, the last generation is calling for the continuation of the 9 euro ticket as a first security measure.
Lina Schinkothe is sitting on the tarmac today because she can no longer tolerate this injustice. She emphasizes: “In the end, we will all suffer from the climate catastrophe. However, it is precisely those who are least responsible for them who are hit first and hardest. A society cannot afford this level of ruthlessness!"
In Cologne and Berlin there are additional road blockades against the deadly fossil fuel business today. Once again there are portraits of the people who are imprisoned in Munich.
20 people of all ages are currently in prison in Munich because they peacefully took part in a Last Generation road blockade. Today, 70-year-old Abo, among others, is blocking the BER runway. It's about everything and about all of us. Looking away is no longer an option.
[1] Air traffic | WWF Switzerland
[2] Environmentally harmful subsidies: almost half for road and air traffic | Federal Environment Agency
[3] Climate activists “Last Generation”: RLP constitutional judge considers protests by the “Last Generation” movement to be justified
[4] Wolfgang Schäuble criticizes Germany's Russia policy (handelsblatt.com)
Concert in the Elbphilharmonie disrupted – no Beethoven in the sunken city
Hamburg, November 23.11.2022rd, 20, 10:XNUMX p.m - This evening two supporters of the Last Generation interrupted a concert by the Saxon Staatskapelle in the Great Hall of the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie. Even before the first notes of Beethoven's Violin Concerto sounded, they climbed onto the stage wearing safety vests and clung to the conductor's stand.
The two addressed the concertgoers in an emotional speech from the stage: “I am standing here today because we are collectively suppressing the climate catastrophe and thereby depriving our children of a life of security and peace! Just as there is only one Beethoven violin concerto, we only have this one planet, whose boundaries we disregard so much that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and deadly.” [1]
At the end they appealed to those around them: “We must all take action now and resist the criminal behavior of our rulers!
There will no longer be an Elbphilharmonie to enjoy Beethoven if Hamburg is under water. The crisis is escalating right now, before our eyes!”
The scientific forecasts become bleaker with every year that passes without effective protective measures being implemented. Sea levels are expected to rise by almost one meter by the end of the century. This increase, in combination with regular storm surges, not only threatens Hamburg and other coastal cities in the global north, but also directly threatens the lives of millions of people worldwide. [2] [3] The incredible suffering, which the government can still noticeably limit through decisive action, will put our society to a tough, probably unbearable test. That is why the Last Generation is now immediately calling for the first security measures in the fight against climate collapse.
In a statement of solidarity with the Last Generation, which has already been signed by over 300 artists, numerous well-known actors, directors, composers and many more declare: “As artists, we are traditionally proud of taking a stance and being political.[…] The impending collapse not least endangers our democracy and thus the free social order that we as artists need for our work.”
Like the last generation, they ask the question: “What is more extreme than a society that does not stop destroying its own future and the livelihoods of future generations? What is more inconsiderate than a federal government that refuses to implement the simplest climate protection measures such as a speed limit?” [4]
[1] UN study on extreme weather: Number of extreme weather disasters is increasing rapidly | tagesschau.de
[2] Marinespiegel: Increase as a result of climate change – Knowledge – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)
[3] Six times more ice loss: This sea level rise is realistic | Telepolis (heise.de)
[4] Climate protection is not a crime – solidarity with the “last generation”!
Black paint on the DFB campus – a sign against bloody deals by the federal government and corporations
Frankfurt am Main, November 23.11.2022rd, 18, 45:XNUMX p.m. – Citizens of the last generation sprayed the facade of the DFB campus in Frankfurt am Main with black paint on Wednesday morning - black like the oil that Germany buys from bloody regimes. In the context of the World Cup in Qatar, they want to send a signal against bloody deals by the federal government and large corporations like FIFA.
In the past, the last generation has particularly attracted attention through road blockades and protests in museums. On the day of the DFB team's first game in Qatar, she consciously draws the focus on an actor who goes to great lengths for his own profit - just like the federal government does when it comes to its own economic interests.
“We are outraged! The whole world is desperately trying to close its eyes to Qatar's crimes so as not to let the fun of football be taken away from them. But what fun is that? What kind of game is this when it is played on the backs of the global South, on the backs of the poor, on the backs of our future?”, asks Aimee van Baalen, a Last Generation speaker.
In Qatar, the federal government is not only ignoring massive human rights violations during the construction of the World Cup stadiums.[1] Even when it came to finding new energy suppliers, the Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck did not shy away from making a deal with the authoritarian regime - even if the agreement ultimately fell through.[2] And Qatar is not an isolated case: Germany's former largest gas supplier, Russia, is an authoritarian regime and a warmonger. Germany's new hard coal supplier Colombia is allowing open-cast mining to drive out the local population, depriving them of the air to breathe and the water to live on.[3] And there are many more examples…
Aimee van Baalen further emphasizes: "It is enough! It's enough for large corporations like FIFA to trash human rights for maximum profit! It's enough that the federal government is bargaining with dictators over oil, gas and human lives! It is enough for us all to look the other way when injustice is rampant right before our eyes and human rights are going up in flames!”
The Last Generation is calling on the federal government to finally take responsibility, show its colors and decisively save energy: in the fight against the climate catastrophe, to end dependencies on criminal governments and to uphold human rights. A speed limit and a return to the €9 ticket would be the very first measures here.
[1] www.sportschau.de/fussball/fifa-wm-2022/wm-2022-ausbeutung-gastarbeiter-equidem-100.html
[2] www.merkur.de/politik/kritik-habeck-katar-deal-geplatzt-scheichs-gas-91709899.html
[3]
www.zeit.de/zeit-magazin/2022/47/kolumbien-kohle-wasser-la-guajira-wayuu
Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick has been on hunger strike for 14 days - technical environmental protection engineer calls on the government to protect lives
Statement about my climate strike (in the form of refusing food) in the Stadelheim prison:
When it comes to climate, humanity is like a speedboat racing towards a waterfall. The longer we wait to make the inevitable U-turn, the more likely it is that the water will sweep us away - and that is deadly.
If the world had begun to pursue the necessary emissions reduction pathways (which include extraction technologies and the effective reduction of atmospheric CO2019 levels) in 2, humanity would still have had a better than 50% chance of getting away with a black eye.
After three years, which read like a clear “business as usual” on the Keeling curve [1], only the worst possible consequence (self-extinction of humanity within the next 100 years) can now be averted. Even if global warming is no longer possible to limit to a further 0,35°C, sea levels would rise by several meters.
In order to illustrate the criticality of the situation, I chose the only form of strike left to me in the prison in my climate strike:
I restrict the intake of food.
I will continue this form of climate strike until another form is available to me again, or until at least one of the three demands of “Unite Against Climate Failure” [2] has been met.
Regarding the demands in detail:
- Our government must admit failure in the climate emergency and declare that limiting global warming to 1,5°C by 2100 is no longer possible. It must show that climate tipping points have already been triggered (e.g. Thwaites Glacier) and that triggering a cascade of self-warming with fatal consequences is the most likely result when the 1,5°C mark is exceeded at the latest.
- Our government must make a very visible commitment to canceling the financial debt of the countries most affected by global warming. How should these countries be able to spare money for climate protection if they are constantly caught in the vicious cycle of paying off debt? The industrialized countries bear the historical blame for the climate catastrophe - canceling the debt would be a first step in reparations, which Mr. Scholz completely ignored in his speech at COP27!
- Our government must decarbonize the transport sector. A speed limit of 100 km/h and the reintroduction of the €9 ticket are necessary immediate measures.
Added Notes:
[1] The Keeling Curve (ucsd.edu)
[2] Unite Against Climate Failure (unite-against-climate-failure.de)
Wolfgang Metzeler kick on the street in Munich
Acquittal in Freiburg and preventive detention in Bavaria – how does that fit together?
Munich, Freiburg November 22.11.2022nd, 11, 00:XNUMX a.m – Yesterday, nine supporters of the Last Generation blocked main streets in Munich. They do this in order to give content to an everyday life that is foreseeably heading towards the bloody collapse of our society. Their addressee is the government, which they demand to fulfill their constitutional obligations and do everything necessary to preserve democracy, the rule of law and our free basic order over the next 50 years. Now eight of them are currently in police custody, three are due to remain in custody until December 02.12nd. stay in the Stadelheim JVA. This increases the number of those sitting in Bavarian cells for consistently demanding fundamental rights confirmed by the highest court [1] to at least 21 people.
Many lawyers view this development with great concern. Some even take legal action.[2] Because in a democracy, it is legitimate for people to resist when the government disregards its own constitution. Only yesterday a district court in Freiburg confirmed that this was the case. While people in Bavaria were being locked in prison cells without trial, the trial of three very similar cases was currently in full swing. A young man took part in three road blockades in the spring of 2022, which, among other things, resulted in 18 km of traffic jams on the motorway. The verdict after six hours of examination of the facts: acquittal on all charges.
The court explained that although traffic was certainly disrupted, it did not consider this disruption to be reprehensible given the climate emergency in which Germany is objectively facing. The young man's actions were therefore justified by the freedom of assembly enshrined in the Basic Law. Some of those present at the trial blocked another street in Freiburg immediately after the verdict.
After Berlin district judges refused to issue penalty orders against participants in road blockades in the past few months after an initial examination and a district court in Flensburg declared a defendant's trespassing to be not a criminal offense[3], this judgment joins a series of judicial decisions , who consider peaceful civil resistance in the climate emergency to be legally appropriate.
The German constitutional state is in a position to act in a much more far-sighted and differentiated manner than Justice Minister Marco Buschmann recently repeatedly claimed. On Sunday at Anne Will's, he was still confident that the citizens who resisted the federal government's anti-constitutional policies would be condemned and that the decisions in Flensburg and Berlin would remain isolated cases. [4] Just one day later he would have to expand this list to include Freiburg.
Carla Rochel, Last Generation Speaker: “We welcome the courage of the district court in Freiburg to set an example for the rule of law, fundamental rights and the protection of our livelihoods - indeed, to encourage us in our commitment. But even if, on the contrary, we are locked up without a trial, as in Bavaria, that will not stop us from taking to the streets again and again with new people, because what is at stake here is nothing less than the great moral question of our time. Will we destroy billions of lives for profit and short-sightedness? Yes or no? The tipping points are already beginning to crumble. Red alert level has already been reached. We may only have 2-3 years to choose between two paths, one leading to a fairer, more conscious society and the other leading to societal collapse and the deaths of billions. We would rather be prosecuted for blocking roads than watch this crime against humanity go unchallenged.” [5] [6] [7] [8]
[1] Tagesschau – Climate protection law is partially unconstitutional.
[2] www.heise.de/tp/features/Mit-Praeventivhaft-gegen-Klima-Aktivismus-Schild-und-Schwert-der-CSU-7335287.html
[3]taz.de/Judgment-zu-Baumbestellung/!5890379/
[4] Anne Will from Sun. November 20.11th, approx. from 41 min.
[5] Prof. Johan Rockström says that at 4°C: “It's difficult to see how we could accommodate eight billion people or maybe even half of that.”
[6] Climate change report is 'a code red for humanity,' UN warns
[7]World on brink of five 'disastrous' climate tipping points, study finds
[8]Former UK chief scientist Sir David King in 2021: “What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity. “We are in a very, very desperate situation.”
More people on Munich's streets - the peaceful protest cannot be locked away!
Munich, Berlin, Aalen, Freiburg, Göttingen, Magdeburg, November 21.11.2022, 7, 55:XNUMX a.m – In six cities today, supporters of the last generation are again resisting the fatal failure of the federal government in the climate emergency. In Munich, 9 people bring traffic to a standstill. They know what threatens them. Nevertheless, they are determined to renounce their complicity in the deadly normality. In Berlin, people on the street wear striped prison clothing and hold pictures of the man who has been in custody since November 03.11rd. people locked up in the Stadelheim prison. “Lock up instead of talking” is written on signs that they hold in front of them.
Over the weekend, the 13 Last Generation people who are still in prison without a conviction had one Custody Review stated that they will continue to resist climate hell in the future. To prevent them from doing so, they will continue to be held in prison in the coming weeks.
Aimee van Baalen, spokesperson for the Last Generation: “The result of the World Climate Conference is a disaster! If we exceed the 1,5 degree limit, we are heading for a destroyed future! The federal government shares responsibility for this unimaginable suffering by failing to meet climate targets that are already too lax! [1] The threat of climate catastrophe is too great to silently bow to the dogma “lock up instead of talk”!
The environmental engineer Wolfgang Metzeler kick has been on hunger strike in the Stadelheim prison for over ten days because all other means of protest have been taken away from him. For him, one thing is clear: “We have to do everything we can now, because everything is at stake. There will soon be no turning back from what humanity is currently doing. To simply look away now is unforgivable."
Aimee van Baalen emphasizes: “The longer the government sticks to blocking the first simple protective measures against the acute threat of climate catastrophe, the more citizens will find the courage to resist. Faced with the devastating consequences of doing nothing, even prison cells lose their horror.”
[1] Expert advice: Germany is clearly missing its climate targets by 2030 – Politics – SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)
Letter from JVA Stadelheim – Dear criminal before the law as a criminal against humanity: “You too can cancel your complicity!”
To our parents and children, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandmas and grandpas, friends and acquaintances, to everyone:
We are 13 people from the last generation aged 19 to 63 and we are currently continuing our resistance in prison in Munich, where we will spend up to a month. You may wonder why we do this and you may also worry about what we are giving up to protest.
But we're not giving up on anything. Our future prospects - school, training, studies, financial security, work, career, carefree time with our children... We're not giving that up, because All of this will already be lost if we continue to do nothing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says: "We are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator. " We will exceed 2030°C as early as 1,5. Droughts, forest fires, extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe and in this climate hell we will hardly be able to think about our next vacation or retirement planning. Instead, we will count heat deaths, let millions of people die in the Global South and at borders, and tear each other apart in the fight for the last resources. Because if we miss the opportunity to act now and it becomes clear in 2-3 years that we will exceed the critical limit and can no longer limit global warming to a level that is comfortable for us to live in, then we will not only lose our livelihood, but also... also our hope and humanity.
We are locked up, but we are not giving up our freedom either. Because what kind of freedom is this in which we can pursue a destructive everyday life unhindered, in a system that by “freedom” means privileges and sells us ruthless egoism as self-realization? If “freedom” means destruction and requires the suffering and death of countless people, then we say goodbye to it without regret.
We don't give up anything and we don't give up. We fight for reason and love, driven by the confidence that humanity will choose life in this final moment. We are peaceful and determined and we oppose a normality that can no longer be. We decided: We would rather be criminals before the law than complicit in humanity's greatest crime.
And we ask you: take a look and decide for life too. Let us be many who say openly and clearly: We denounce complicity in this injustice. We will not accept that our government formulates unconstitutional climate goals and then misses them. Let us not stand by silently when solutions from science, business and citizens' councils are ignored and thwarted in order to protect the privileges and profits of the few instead of all of our lives. We will be there: in museums and ministries, on streets and in prisons, in lecture rooms and on sign boards.
We won't give up because it's all about it.
Drawn by Judith Beadle, Charlotte Schwarzer, Miriam Meyer and Elena Thor in the Stadelheim JVA - Women's Department.
Access to BER blocked – “This is just the beginning”
BER, November 18.11.2022, 09, 25:XNUMX a.m - Citizens of the last generation are blocking the A113 today - the access to BER airport from the direction of Berlin. The movement is gradually approaching its announcement last Saturday to “peacefully shut down airports” and emphasizes: “This is just the beginning of the airport disruptions”.
Several vehicles initially drove side by side on the A113 at low speeds with their hazard lights on, causing traffic to build up behind them. Shortly before leaving Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, the vehicles came to a complete standstill. Wearing high-visibility vests and carrying banners, the occupants got out of the cars and peacefully stuck to the highway. They parked the vehicles sideways.
For Lisa Winkelmann, who is sitting on the highway today, these massive disruptions to everyday life are clearly justified:
"People already want change and not a deadly business as usual. The problem is the federal government, which doesn't even want to talk about the first security measures against climate collapse and prefers to allow further detention of peaceful citizens. Their refusal to act dutifully on the climate crisis forces us to expand the disruption. A disruption that we ourselves don’t want. But we as a society cannot afford to cross the tipping points and sacrifice millions of people for the profits of a few."
Since the beginning of November, 13 citizens of the last generation have been in preventive detention in Munich after they peacefully blocked streets there twice. Of the 17 that have since been released, four were released last Monday. One of them says he is on hunger strike until other means of protest are available to him or until climate protection demands are met. The Last Generation has already announced that more people will follow the prisoners to Munich in the coming days and weeks.
Carla Rochel outlined the expansion of the Last Generation protests at airports for the first time in the RTL program “Stern-TV” on November 6th. She said: “We will take our protest to all areas that will be affected by the climate catastrophe” and, when asked, did not rule out blockades at airports. She wishes that this wasn't necessary, but it's not about a popularity contest "but about society becoming aware that we are racing towards a climate catastrophe"[1].
[1] www.stern.de/kultur/tv/-last-generation–kuendigt-bei-stern-tv-weitere-proteste-an-32885628.html
Fire alarm and Christian Lindner in handcuffs – block like the FDP
Berlin, June 16.11.2022, 8, 05:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation have Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP symbolically arrested today. Under the motto “Block like the FDP” Citizens disrupt the morning rush hour behind Christian Lindner masks and in management outfits to denounce the Free Democrats' blockade stance in the climate emergency. The picture of Christian Lindner in handcuffs expresses the drama of the situation: The FDP's dangerous climate policy is a crime against all those who will lose their lives as a result.
At the same time as the traffic disruptions, the fire alarm sounds at the FDP headquarters. Acted by other supporters from the last generations, it is intended to show the Free Democrats that Germany is currently in one Climate emergencylocated. The 1,5 degree limit can no longer be maintained. If the FDP does not immediately end its blockade against the simplest security measures, the earth's climate runs the risk of entering a spiral of tipping points, which will cause the heat to continue to rise on its own - with fatal consequences for the population.[1]
A speaker of the last generation, Aimee van Baalen (23), explains the protest like this: “We can no longer afford the selfish behavior of a few rich and famous people. They fly over our heads in private jets, waste vital resources such as dwindling water supplies with their pools and lawn sprinklers, thereby sending all future generations into misery in the climate collapse. A party that makes politics for this clientele at the expense of the general public is no longer acceptable today!” [2]
The smallest government party is repeatedly noticed by blocking the simplest security measures against climate collapse: under Christian Lindner, a 9-euro ticket only becomes a 49-euro ticket. The Federal Finance Minister recently absurdly linked the introduction of a speed limit to an extension of the operating times of nuclear power plants. [3] Most fatal of all: He irresponsibly clings to wishful thinking about innovation and postpones the problems into the distant future, even though, according to science, now is probably the last opportunity to turn things around on the way to the deadly abyss. [4]
“We also don’t want to spend our lives on the streets, being shouted at or beaten up by angry people and disturbing innocent people. But we know from science that we may only have two to three years left to turn things around. This means that perhaps the next thousand generations will depend on this government.” so David Berres (45), who is sitting on the street today. [5]
The Last Generation demands that the government finally sit down with its representatives to discuss the introduction of a speed limit and the continuation of the 9 euro ticket. As is well known, these security measures are wanted by a broad majority and are the first necessary step towards a future worth living. [6] In the long term, citizens expect a fair transformation of our society into a vibrant democracy. Corporations should no longer be allowed to enrich themselves at the expense of the general public and all people should be allowed to live on an equal footing with one another, so that both our planet and all citizens are protected by jointly decided laws.
[1] www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/08/world-on-brink-five-climate-tipping-points-study-finds
[2] Temporary online report “Drought in Germany. But the pools are full”. www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2022-08/duerre-wasserknappheit-kronberg-im-taunus-trinkwasser-verbrauchs
[3] www.spiegel.de/auto/christian-lindner-angeblich-offen-fuer-tempolimit-solang-die-akw-weiter-laufen-a-f8a94ab4-d076-4254-9e9c-d24433bea243
[4] www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/
[5] Here Berrens refers to a comment by Professor Sir David King from 2021: “What we do over the next three to four years, I believe, is going to determine the future of humanity. “We are in a very, very desperate situation.” www.thecitizen.org.au/articles/forget-2050-experts-say-its-2030-or-bust-for-net-zero-emissions
[6] Survey on the continuation of the 9 euro ticket (focus): www.zeit.de/news/2022-07/23/umfrage-mehrheit-fuer-guenstige-nachaufnahme-des-9-euro-tickets
Survey on the introduction of a speed limit (Statista): de.statista.com/statistics/data/study/258757/umfrage/umfrage-zum-speedlimit-auf-autobahnen/
No pity, actions! Last generation calls to join blockades
Berlin, June 14.11.2022, 8, 10:XNUMX a.m - Against the federal government's deadly climate policy, the last generation is once again resolutely and peacefully blocking Berlin's highways this morning. Today's protests are also taking place against the backdrop of the Last Generation supporters imprisoned in Munich. People between the ages of 19 and 63 have been held in the Stadelheim JVA for ten days now. They, too, had peacefully resisted the federal government's unconstitutional failure in the climate emergency.
“If we take ourselves and our values ​​seriously, if we act together peacefully and decisively, we can make a future worth living possible for all people. The people who are currently in prison in Bavaria don't want any pity from society. They consciously took the risk of being locked up. What they want is for more people to take action. “We can only change the federal government’s climate course together”, So Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation.
Lisa Winkelmann is on the street again today. She bases her decision to join the Last Generation on the fear of a hostile future: “We are already in the middle of a catastrophe: floods – like in the Ahr Valley – and heat waves are the order of the day. Climate collapse is an absolute emergency! What are we waiting for?"
He continued: “In this alarming situation, I see it as my moral duty to take to the streets for climate protection and all of our survival. Nobody here wants to be yelled at and hit. We would stop our actions immediately if the government implemented our demands for initial climate policy measures: i.e. a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways and the reintroduction of the 9 euro ticket. Until then, we will continue to block roads every day.”
The movement offers appointments for lectures and training sessions to join the blockades on its website: Join in – Last Generation 🧡.
Five weeks on the streets of Berlin and the Republic - against our government's climate failure.
We stopped traffic on the streets, brought the highways to a standstill, threw mashed potatoes on a glazed painting and paint on political buildings.
We have daily conversations with politicians and representatives from other areas of society.
16 of us are in prison. They are in prison for freedom, democracy and prosperity. They sit there because they know that if we continue like this we will lose all of this. We can't keep going like this.
Micha Frey (24), who is currently in prison in Stadelheim, in a video statement on Twitter [1]: “If we want to prevent the end of our free society, which will come in a world of water shortages and crop failures […], then we have to resist now.”
We can already see that democratic resistance is having an impact.
We see that we, our protests and actions against climate breakdown are being talked about everywhere: at the dinner tables of this country, in the courtrooms, on talk shows and in political committees.
But attention is not our goal. Being ignorable is necessary. But political change is what is needed in the end and what we will achieve.
This isn't a popularity contest; no attempt to convince people of our concerns - because they have long been so: there are large majorities in favor of the first security measures in the event of climate collapse: the speed limit and a 9 euro ticket. What we lack is political willingness.
The government's refusal to implement or even negotiate the will of the people threatens the existence of our civilization. Civil resistance is the most promising democratic means of convincing the federal government to live up to its democratic duty.
We remain flexible, peaceful and determined. The state can remove ladders from sign gantries as much as it wants [2] - we will carry on. We are also considering implementing the first security measures against climate collapse – speed limits and affordable local transport to peacefully shut down airports.
Because we believe that people want to survive. That they want to live safely and have enough to eat, including for their children. We do this on behalf of everyone.
Because we are humanity that believes in humanity. We are democracy.
And as long as there is still breath in our bodies, we will not give up.
[1] Statement Micha Frey: twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1591171096799510528
[2] www.bild.de/regional/berlin/berlin-aktuell/berlin-leitern-an-den-schildbruecken- Werden-abbinden-81902904.bild.html
“Jail instead of a fine”
Mother will not pay fine for civil resistance against climate catastrophe
Berlin, June 11.11.2022, 10, 00:XNUMX a.m – Yesterday, November 10.11.2022th, XNUMX, the trial against Sonja Manderbach ended in the Tiergarten district court with a conviction for the sentence demanded by the public prosecutor.
The education speaker and church musician from Oldenburg has blocked streets several times this year together with many other supporters of the Last Generation and thus opposed the deadly government policy.
The judge sentenced the mother to 40 daily rates of €25 each for her courageous efforts to combat political failure in the climate catastrophe, exceeding the 30 daily rates requested by the public prosecutor.
Already presented in advance Sonja Mandelbach clear: "If the court thinks that it is justified to convict me for wanting to give my daughter a future worth living, I will accept it. But under no circumstances will I pay the fine with money. If our constitutional state wants to prevent me from resisting the government's unconstitutional course, it has to lock me up. "
In the wake of the World Climate Conference, which is currently taking place in Egypt, warnings and gloomy forecasts from all areas of science are coming thick and fast: If we don't change course immediately, we are heading for a world that is at least 2-3 degrees hotter, in which billions of people are in acute danger There is danger to life.
“In view of this existential threat to billions of human lives from the climate catastrophe, we are all called upon to take a position for or against survival. Courts also have to decide: to lock up and punish or to acquit? By recognizing the climate catastrophe as a justifiable emergency, they can make politicians responsible for adhering to the constitution and protecting the population" explained Aimee von Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation.
Aimée von Baalen continues: “The fact that courts can take a courageous position is shown, for example, by the recent acquittal in the case of a tree occupation, in which, according to the verdict, climate protection outweighs the violation of the law."[1]
Carla Rochel, speaker of the Last Generation, announces: ”As long as our government does not deviate from its deadly course toward climate catastrophe, we will continue to resist peacefully and resolutely. Fines and prison will not make us accept the wanton destruction of our livelihoods."
Currently, 17 members of the last generation are still in prison in Munich without a trial following traffic blockades. Detention was ordered until December 2.12.2022, XNUMX following judicial hearings.
[1] taz.de/Judgment-zu-Baumbestellung/!5890379/
Antonia Vollbrecht is an agricultural journeyman. She explains: "I'm sitting here on the street because I can't help it. Because it feels completely unreal to carry on like it's nothing knowing what's going on. Because I can't stand the fact that even with a clear view of the abyss, we don't finally pull the handbrake and instead my generation has to listen to us, we should just have a little optimism. "
Here she alludes to statements that were made yesterday in the talk format “Markus Lanz” were made. There was talk of a lack of optimism and that people could easily adapt to the climate catastrophe [1].
Such words show that the true extent of the catastrophe has not yet reached everyone's minds.
The renowned German Climate researcher Stefan Rahmstorf reacts to this on Twitter and paints a clear picture: “A world four degrees warmer would be full of disasters, famine and suffering. Ecosystems would collapse. No longer a stable coastline, cities are sinking."[2]
If the world's governments continue to fall short of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's recommendations and then miss these goals, then this will become exactly the reality [3]. People cannot adapt to famine and a lack of drinking water on the one hand, and flooded and destroyed cities on the other. We die in such conditions.
Optimism does not mean ignoring the facts. Optimism means doing everything we can to make the most of the last chance we have left.
Jacob Beyer, Speaker of the Last Generation, was willing to go to prison for it. Together with 17 other people, he is currently locked up in the Stadelheim prison for 30 days. An emotional video statement was published on social networks in the past few days:
"I want to put everything I have into it now to preserve the chance we still have. I no longer want to take part in the destruction of all of our livelihoods and that is why I am resisting. And if I have to go to prison for it, then I'm ready for it. If you want to support me, take my place on the street now.” [first]
[1] (256) “Last Generation”: How far can protest go? | Markus Lanz from November 09th, 2022 – YouTube
[2] Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf on Twitter: “A world 4 degrees warmer would be full of disasters, famine and suffering. Ecosystems would no longer be adapted to the climate and would collapse. No longer a stable coastline, cities are sinking. But please be optimistic & adapt. #Lanz t.co/gBwDhBvaPz” / Twitter
[3] Publication | WBGU
[4] Here is the entire statement: (256) 30 days in prison: Jakob Beyer #ForAll – YouTube
Federal government misses ending the disruption
Scholz, Lindner, Habeck & Wissing do not appear at the negotiations with Last Generation
Berlin, June 10.11.2022, 18, 00:XNUMX a.m – The federal government did not accept the invitation to negotiate with the Last Generation today. We regret this very much, because it is essential for us to negotiate the first security measures against climate collapse with Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck and especially Volker Wissing.
Dear Federal Government,
we don't want to sit on the highways. It hurts us to be honked at by drivers, insulted, beaten and spit on by passers-by. Many of us receive death threats. It hurts us to interrupt people's everyday lives. All the encouragement, the people thanking us, hugging us or defending us when there are blockages alleviates this pain, but the bottom line is that there is a confrontation that we need, but that basically hurts everyone. A confrontation that we must end, but that only you can end.
On Site Team Jacob Beyer, who is currently in prison in Bavaria for 30 days, in his audio message: “I don't want to continue to participate in the destruction of all of our livelihoods and that's why I'm resisting. […] If we come together as a society, we can achieve a lot. And if I have to go to prison for it, then I'm ready for it. […] "[1]
With Jakob, 17 citizens are currently sitting in a prison in Munich. Many of them are expected to spend 30 days there without trial. Including mothers and fathers who cannot see their children. Thousands of people are stuck in traffic every day, arrive late for their appointments and have their everyday lives interrupted.
Dear federal government, only you can stop this. They could have ended it today. You have it in your hand. With your politics you have control over whether people are stuck in traffic jams and in prison or not. We just need to sit down at the table seriously. We are ready to find a solution.
We don't want to continue. But at the moment we see no other option than to continue civil resistance. At least not one that is morally responsible.
Because the current course threatens society as a whole. We cannot remain silent spectators if you, as the federal government, are steering our society into a climate hell in which our livelihoods such as water, food and security are lost.
UN Secretary General AntĂłnio Guterres"We are on the highway to climate hell, with our foot on the accelerator!"[2]
If we don't do something about it now, we will be complicit in the deaths of billions of people.
We remain open to negotiations at any time. We have prepared for this and are in contact with politicians and representatives of their ministries and offices every day. All that’s left now is for you – Mr. Scholz, Mr. Linder, Mr. Habeck and Mr. Wissing – to contact us. They are the ones who actually have the power to introduce the first safety measures now - 100 km/h on motorways and a permanent return to the €9 ticket.
[1] Audio message from Jakob Beyer twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1589290997170569216
[2]UN boss Guterres at the World Climate Conference: “We are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.” www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/klima-klimakonzept-cop27-waldschutz-100.html
Scientists block private jets in Berlin-Schönefeld
Berlin, March 10.11.2022th, XNUMX. In Berlin-Schönefeld, 10 scientists from Scientist Rebellion and 15 climate activists have been blocking the entrance to the private jet terminal (GAT) since 6:7 a.m. They are drawing attention to the immense greenhouse gas emissions caused by private jets and rich frequent flyers and are calling for a ban on private jets, a tax on frequent flyers and the payment of the climate debt of the Global North to the countries of the Global South. The action is part of a concerted global protest in which hundreds of activists and scientists in 12 countries are protesting against private jets with civil disobedience actions parallel to the 27th UN Climate Change Conference.
"The super-rich are causing unacceptable damage with their jet-set lifestyles and the emissions they cause, while the climate crisis continues to escalate and more and more people are at risk of poverty“, says Dr. Nana-Maria Grüning from Scientist Rebellion.
"Private jets are completely unnecessary and the height of climate injustice“, says Prof. Dr. Niko Froitzheim (Geology), participant in the peaceful blockade. “We must finally hold rich people accountable so that Germany can pay off its climate debt to poor countries“, Froitzheim continued. “The introduction of a progressive frequent flyer tax, in which higher taxes are charged for each additional flight, would contribute to tax fairness. There is currently no aviation tax on private flights, they are not part of the EU emissions trading system and kerosene is not taxed in the EU."
The international “Make Them Pay” campaign by Scientist Rebellion and Stay Grounded puts three demands on governments around the world: firstly, a ban on private jets, secondly, a tax on frequent flyers and thirdly, the payment of climate debt. The actions against private jets are taking place simultaneously in Australia, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
Climbed the Brandenburg Gate - On the day the Berlin Wall fell, the last generation called for solidarity
Two sisters of the last generation address the federal government with their banners and call for solidarity in the face of the climate catastrophe.
Berlin, October 09.11.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m – Today on "On the Day of Cohesion, two citizens from the last generations climbed the Brandenburg Gate.
A huge banner they hoisted on the symbol of peace and unity read: “We wish for survival for everyone - On the day of cohesion - We are all the last generation".
Maya Winkelmann, who stands on the Brandenburg Gate with her sister, explains her motives: “On the day of cohesion, we as a society are on the brink. We must now decide: Do we want to survive together or die alone? I think I can expect my government to ensure survival for everyone. She should negotiate with us tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.!”
This tension, which has been running through the population for a long time, has only recently been ignited by the protests of many climate activists. While individuals want to see prison sentences, broad spectrums of society demand Fridays for Future up to Young liberals [1] the release of people who should remain locked up for 30 days because of their commitment to all of our livelihoods. [2]
Lisa Winkelmann therefore appeals directly to the federal government: “We call on the traffic light government to take a step towards social reconciliation! Come to us tomorrow and negotiate with us about the first security measures against the impending climate collapse. Then we can end our protests! Let’s come together and speak plainly!”
As has been published several times since last Friday, the last generation invites the federal government, ie Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck and in particular Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing, tomorrow Thursday, 10th November 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in Berlin for a conversation. A representative team will be available on this day.
Lea Bonasera, Marlon Profuß and Claudia Röseler would like to negotiate the first safety measures in the disaster - 100km/h on the motorway and a €9 ticket on local transport - and the associated end to the protests.
Until a solution is found, we see no morally justifiable position other than continuing to resist on the streets.
[1] Young Liberals of Upper Palatinate demand the release of the last generation citizens: www.instagram.com/p/CktHo1HD_7n/
[2] twitter.com/FridayForFuture/status/1589216378287964163
18-year-old student locked up in Munich – What are you going to do?
The 18-year-old student Maria Braun is in custody in Munich.
Munich, September 8.11.2022th, 09, 50:XNUMX p.m – Once again, last generation supporters were jailed for their peaceful protest without a main trial. Among them was the 18-year-old student Mary Brown. Until November 14.11th She should now remain locked up in Stadelheim.
Locking up the student is emblematic of how the government is dealing with the climate emergency. The depth of the crisis is still completely underestimated, but instead of taking the fire alarm of the warning voices seriously, they are locked away, as happened recently with 13 scientists. At the same time, the climate catastrophe is escalating for everyone to see and getting worse, the warnings from science and the UN are becoming more and more desperate, and the facts are becoming more and more oppressive. The question addressed to anyone who understands how close we are to a death spiral of tipping points is: “What will you do?"
The fact that more and more groups and individuals are expressing their solidarity with the last generation and calling for the release of the imprisoned people is encouraging. Aimee van BaalenHowever, Last Generation spokesperson emphasizes: ”What people in prison really need right now are not words of encouragement and well-intentioned encouragement. We will not be able to get the government to take action. This does not help the people who are already becoming victims of the climate catastrophe. We finally have to take action. Let’s take the courage and hope of the incarcerated people further out and take their places on the streets!”
Mary Brown, student, 18 years old, about her situation: ”I am not prepared to continue to watch my generation being led into hunger, suffering and death. If the government punishes my peaceful resistance with tiled cell walls, that cannot deter me. Considering the future that awaits us, the interior of Stadelheim seems like the better option."
If you look at the warnings from scientists in recent years, you can see that the current course of at least 2-3 degrees of global warming will have catastrophic consequences for the continued existence of our civilization. UN Secretary General António Guterres finds clear words at the World Climate Conference in Egypt: “We are fighting the fight of our lives - and we are losing."[1]
Unless the government finds convincing answers to these questions, resistance from a generation facing annihilation can only intensify. Recently there have been several occupations of universities and schools. More have already been announced.
The Last Generation was and is always ready to talk about answers to these questions. She invites the federal government - Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck - and in particular Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing to a conversation on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 10.00 a.m. in Berlin .
Negotiations must be made about the initial safety measures in the event of a disaster - 100km/h on the motorway and a €9 ticket on local transport - and the associated end to the protests.
[1] “On the highway to climate hell”: Guterres sees humanity’s survival at stake – n-tv.de
Traffic disruptions in Munich and Berlin – peaceful resistance defies prison threats
Munich, Berlin, November 07.11.2022th, 9, 30:XNUMX a.m - On the main street at Munich's Stachus, supporters of the last generation are gathering again today to resist the government's life-threatening climate policy. They are determined to exercise their right to democratic protest and call on their fellow human beings to do the same - despite the threatening behavior of politicians.
Just three days ago, 13 Last Generation supporters were taken to the Stadelheim prison without a trial because they sat peacefully on the street at Stachus. Eight of them are now expected to spend 30 days in captivity.
There are also renewed disruptions on roads in Berlin. Some of those involved wear black and white striped prison clothing. The signs they carry on the street say: “It’s better to lock up than talk.” In doing so, they denounce the federal government's lack of willingness to discuss initial climate security measures.
The 18-year-old student Maria Braun is one of the supporters causing disruptions in Munich today:
"I will not be intimidated by threats of 30 days in prison. My life and the lives of my entire generation are at stake! I can't help but resist now."
"This goes out to all brave people who feel the way I do. This is our time to really make a difference. If I'm locked up, you'll have to take my place on the streets!“, continues Maria. It remains to be seen how politicians and the police will deal with the student's peaceful democratic protest.
Also on the street with her was 47-year-old Wolfgang Metzler Kick, a technical environmental protection engineer and father: “Thanks to my relevant specialist expertise, I can assess the danger we are in. The world is completely out of control.
We will break the 1,5 degree limit in barely ten years. This decade will decide the future of our entire civilization. I call on all of you to peacefully resist this destruction with us!"
In all of this, it is important for the last generation to always remain ready to talk. They invite the cabinet members of the federal government - especially Olaf Scholz, Christian Linder, Robert Habeck and Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing - on Thursday November 10th, 2022 for a conversation in Berlin a. It should be about how the federal government deals with peaceful democratic protest and about initial security measures in the event of a climate emergency. Specifically, a speed limit and a return to the €9 ticket.
30 days in prison
“We want you all to resist in the streets”
Munich, September 05.11.2022th, 08, 30:XNUMX p.m – It is a political novelty: Citizens of the last generation have been sitting in the Stadelheim JVA since yesterday evening and are expected to spend most of 30 days in a prison in Munich without a main trial. [1] There is no known case in which police custody has been ordered for such a long period of time in the history of the Federal Republic.
All 13 participants had resisted the federal government's destructive and deadly course with peaceful road blockades. The 13 scientists who had been locked up in the same prison for a week were also released yesterday.
The fact is: the government is missing its inadequate, self-imposed climate targets [2] and the 1,5 degree limit is no longer achievable [3].
Jacob Beyer, spokesman for the group and himself now in police custody for 30 days [4], addressed the public with clear words before the trip to the correctional facility:
"We don't want your pity. We want you all to resist on the streets. More people will come. And they will know that they could be imprisoned - just as we knew. But right and wrong are clearly divided here. It now takes your courage to put yourself on the right side of history."
Whether the resistance against this dangerous course of the federal government is successful now depends on each and every individual.
What is already known about the numbers: 9 citizens of the last generation are safely in police custody in the Stadelheim JVA - 8 of them are expected to stay until December 2nd. The whereabouts of four others are still unclear - but a decision has already been made here and they have not been released. 4 were released. [2]
The 30 days are preventive detention. This was requested by the police to prevent people from repeatedly gathering on the streets of Munich. The question of whether this is a democratically legitimate protest does not have to be answered - the court must rely on the police's position. A court will not decide on any charges that the public prosecutor may bring for a few months.
However, this approach has been sharply criticized from many quarters. The Jesuit priest Jörg Alt on Twitter: “I only know something like that from African dictatorships.” [5]
The people who are now sitting in Bavarian cells are between 23 and 79 years old.
Typically they are in college, working or retired. Among them is a 63-year-old print shop owner, a mother of two, a psychologist and a 23-year-old student. What unites all of these people is the willingness to no longer simply stand by and watch the government cross one red line after another. She is breaking international law by disregarding the Paris Agreement. Their climate protection law would be declared unconstitutional by Karlsruhe and then hardly improved. And the government is still missing the goals in the inadequate climate protection law.
Negotiations should actually be held about the implementation of safety measures in the event of a climate catastrophe, such as 100km/h on the motorway and a €9 ticket on local transport. Then the protests could end.
Last Generation has already sent the invitation to a corresponding discussion on Thursday, November 10, 2022 in Berlin to the responsible members of the government. [6]
[1] 15 citizens were taken into police custody, 2 were released, 1 person has to wait until November 9.11th. stay in prison, 8-12 people until December 2.12nd. (Already decided on 4, but the court has not yet released any information on how long the preventive detention is ordered).
[2] www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/klimaziel-deutschland-expertrat-101.html
[3] www.n-tv.de/ticker/Klimaforschung-Latif-zu-Erderwaermung-1-5-Grad- Ziel-ist-nicht-mehr-erreichbar-article23471465.html
[4] twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1588529409937448960
[5]Jörg Alt SJ on Twitter: twitter.com/JoergAltSJ/status/1588535925969104897
[6] See press release from yesterday afternoon.
Open letter
Prison verdicts in Munich and false criticism of accidents:
The last generation is demanding correction and discussion with the federal government
Dear Sir or Madam,
As already indicated by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, the course against the peaceful road disruptions of the last generation is becoming more severe.
Several resisters now have to spend time in prison until December 2nd by order of the Munich District Court. Yesterday, Thursday, they blocked the Stachus in Munich and were taken into custody. In total they should now live in a cell for 30 days.
An open letter from Nuremberg Jesuit priest Jörg Alt to the Bavarian state parliament had already criticized last week's decision to lock scientists in Munich prison after their protest.
Since Monday, the allegations against the last generation regarding the accident involving a cyclist in Berlin have not stopped. High-ranking politicians from the traffic light parties also commented and blamed the “Last Generation” resistance campaign for the woman’s death:
- Deputy Chairman FDP Graf Lambsdorff (FDP): “The first fatality [of the last generation]” [1]
- Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD): “Anyone who blocks escape routes puts human lives at risk. We saw that in a terrible way this week in Berlin.” [2]
- Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens): “Protests by some groups are now doing exactly that. Endangering the lives of others and their own.” [3]
Now it becomes clear what really happened on Monday: The climate protest had no impact on the care of the accident victim.
We call on you to correct this.
Today's report in the SĂĽddeutsche Zeitung [4] quotes from one Note from the Berlin fire department the medical assessment of the case:
“On the question of technical rescue, the emergency doctor clearly stated that she would have immediately opted for this method [vehicle drove off the person] even if other technical options such as rescue vehicles or cranes had been available.”
According to information from the SZ, the Berlin fire department had already sent this note to its higher authority, the Berlin Senator for the Interior, on Tuesday afternoon.
The last generation was and is always open to discussion and invites the federal government - Scholz, Lindner, Habeck - and in particular Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing Conversation on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 10.00:XNUMX a.m. in Berlin .
There must be negotiations about the first safety measures in the disaster - 100km/h on the motorway and a €9 ticket on local transport - and the associated end to the protests.
The last generation will be available with a representative team on this day.
Society is increasingly asking itself: How much longer is the government prepared to accelerate at 250 km/h towards climate collapse and plunge society into misery?
Until a solution is found, the last generation will continue to resist on the streets.
Lea Bonasera, Marlon Profuß, Claudia Röseler
from the last generation
Sources:
[1] twitter.com/Lambsdorff/status/1588141356689547265?s=20&t=CrBp-QqcAlChBzCLIdkltg
[2] twitter.com/NancyFaeser/status/1588232077849382912?s=20&t=ucyOzd4nCKtRayLb8xDevw
[3] www.berliner-sonntagsblatt.de/Habeck-kritiert-Letzte-Generation-nach-Tod-von-Radfahrerin-274068.html
[4] www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/last-generation-unfall-berlin-radfahrerin-1.5686980
Statement on the accident: It's time to draw a line
We took to the streets because we no longer want to accept the incredible injustice in our society. Because we feel morally obligated to act and not walk into the abyss without seeing our eyes. And because history has shown that peaceful civil resistance works.
We knew that a lot would come our way. We knew we would make a lot of enemies. Because we interrupt people. Because we are disruptive. Because we are making the terrible things public.
We didn't expect that an entire media system would turn against us.
Since Monday, a wave of accusations, untruths and hate speech has broken over us. A wave different than ever before. From private to public media. Previously, we were sold neutral, fact-based reporting as a basic journalistic principle. Today we hardly read, see or hear reporting based on this principle in a single media.
So that we don't misunderstand each other: the fact that the cyclist had an accident in traffic is terrible. We are devastated and in sadness. But it is time to draw a line.
The accident occurred several kilometers from each of our action locations. On the A100 we found ourselves on a sign bridge. The police independently controlled the traffic below and reduced it to one lane. We informed the police before entering the sign bridge and asked for emergency vehicles to be redirected and the A100 to be completely closed to car traffic. We always have an emergency lane in all of our protests. The what-is. And now?
The media public exploits the cyclist's accident. We can't believe that.
As if a hook had finally been found to drag our peaceful protest through the mud. Is it comprehensible that a media landscape that takes up the cause of educating society would fictitiously exaggerate a situation in this form and thus delegitimize democratic protest in a crisis situation?
We know that our protest is unpleasant in many ways. Every day we confront people with what we would all like to ignore. That disturbs. But the fact that we can't rely on even the simplest principles in a democracy - like neutral, fact-based reporting - shocks us.
But we don't have that in our hands. What we have control over is what we do ourselves. May private media continue to incite violence against us. May journalists from public media continue to insult us on the phone.
Whatever public agitation we may encounter as human beings will not dissuade us from doing the only morally right thing: not to remain in an all-important crisis, but to get going.
The federal government should end our protest – now – by getting the crisis under control.
Until then, the resistance continues.
Resistance expanded to Munich – silence or finally take the deadly climate emergency seriously?
Munich, 3.11.2022/10/30, XNUMX:XNUMX – As previously announced, the Last Generation is now expanding its civil resistance to Munich. At the moment, Munich city traffic is interrupted at Karlsplatz. The supporters of all ages sit and stick themselves on the streets and demand the first safety measures to protect the population from the climate catastrophe. The youngest is 18 years old, the oldest is 79 years old. There are also road blockades again today in Berlin and Freiburg.
13 scientists who raised their voices to dissuade the government from a deadly course toward climate collapse are still in custody. You must remain in prison for a total of seven days. [1]
Aimee van Baalen (23), speaker of the Last Generation, takes a position on this:
"The government consistently violates the law and our Constitution by ignoring and denying facts and resulting inaction. This endangers the lives of the population. Scientists are peacefully resisting this political failure - and are being imprisoned for it. What does that say about our country? We cannot accept this blatant injustice and have now expanded our resistance to Bavaria."
Judith (42) is the mother of two children. Today she is taking part in the blockades in Munich and thereby risks being imprisoned as well. She explains why this no longer scares her: “Of course I don't want to go to prison, of course I'm afraid of it. But what is the alternative? That I do nothing and watch as we race unchecked towards climate catastrophe? That I accept that the future of our children is knowingly destroyed for power and profit? That's simply not an option."
The renowned German meteorologist and climate researcher Mojib Latif explained in a recent interview: “I have the impression that the population is supposed to be calmed down by politicians pretending that they have the problem under control. But that is an illusion."[2]
But the population cannot be calmed down. Whether through lies, greenwashing or the threat of prison sentences.
In the face of impending catastrophe, collective silence is deadly.
Last Generation supporters present society and the judiciary with a choice: they can condemn their fellow citizens for telling the truth and standing up for the protection of life, they can imprison them and silence them. Or we can finally take the situation seriously and initiate the first security measures against the impending climate collapse.
[1] 13 scientists locked up for seven days
[2] Mojib Latif on the climate crisis: “Our time is running out and that is not understood” – ÖKO-TEST (oekotest.de)
United Nations Square blocked – The climate emergency will not be locked away
Berlin, June 02.11.2022, 12, 53:XNUMX a.m – There have just been traffic disruptions at the United Nations Square in downtown Berlin caused by supporters of the last generation. There are currently 13 scientists in prison in Bavaria because they could no longer stand by and watch as the government led German society straight into climate collapse. Against this background, the people of the last generation renew their call to the traffic light government to no longer close its eyes to reality. Security measures are necessary immediately. A speed limit and a €9 ticket would be socially just options that can be implemented immediately.
Jacob Beyer, Speaker of the Last Generation:
"The government can imprison scientists who inconveniently hold up a mirror to government failure. It will not be able to eliminate the destruction that the climate catastrophe will bring. Only real action can do that and that’s what citizens will demand. As time is of the essence, we are using the most effective means we have at our disposal as civil society to force the government to act. This is civil resistance."
Color at the party headquarters of the traffic lights - When scientists are locked away, civil society is called upon
Berlin, June 02.11.2022, 11, 14:XNUMX a.m – Why do scientists now feel compelled to put their freedom at risk? Why are 13 scientists in Germany locked up in prison because they urgently warn of climate collapse?
The Last Generation sprayed the party headquarters of all government parties with orange paint today and will follow the imprisoned scientists to Bavaria in the coming days.
Orange color is much associated with the Last Generation through high-visibility vests and banners, but also with orange prison overalls.
Now in plain text: We have already left the realm of safe living conditions. The 1,5 degree limit will be broken around 2030. The death spiral of climate tipping points is already starting to turn and neither party has a plan to get it under control.
Lina Eichler in front of the Willy Brandt House:
"13 scientists are currently in prison. Here in Germany.
Did you warn too urgently about the impending climate collapse? […] I don't want to live in a country where science and its research are simply ignored and locked away."
Spokesman Jacob Beyer explains: “Actually, we as a society agree. Fundamental rights such as life, freedom and human dignity must be protected. Because the government is failing, 13 scientists took to the streets of Munich to raise the alarm. If the government locks up these experts whose expertise it should finally hear, it will require a civilian population that will not go along with it. "
For this reason, Last Generation supporters will expand their peaceful civil resistance to Bavaria in the coming days. Where the 13 scientists were imprisoned.
Statement: Fire brigade rescue truck delayed due to traffic jam on A100
According to rbb24, an accident occurred in traffic on the corner of Bundesallee and Spichernstrasse this morning, in which a cyclist was injured. The fire department confirmed to rbb24 that the emergency vehicle that was supposed to lift the truck that injured the cyclist arrived late at the scene of the accident. He was held up by a traffic jam on the A100. [1]
Citizens of the last generation once again stopped traffic on the Berlin city highway today to ask the government to take the first security measures against climate collapse. The last generation cannot rule out that the delay of the rescue truck is due to a traffic jam caused by us.
"We are shocked that a cyclist was injured by a truck today. We sincerely hope that her health condition has not worsened due to the delay“says Carla Hinrichs from Last Generation. “In all of our protests, the top priority is to ensure the safety of everyone participating. Of course, this also applies to all road users."
The last generation pays careful attention to adhering to emergency lanes in their road blockades. [2]
Aimée van Baalen, spokeswoman for the group, adds: “We don't interrupt everyday life lightly. We wish such disruption wasn't necessary to get the government to act on the climate crisis. We have chosen this means of protest because all previously used means such as demonstrations and petitions have not brought the necessary success. The safety of everyone on our roads, including in the future, is the fundamental motivation for our actions. As soon as the government takes the first security measures against the impending climate collapse, we will immediately stop all protest actions."
[1] www.rbb24.de/panorama/teil/2022/10/unfall-berlin-wilmersdorf-radfahrer-lkw-lebensfähr-feuerwehr.html
[2] Last Generation Action Consensus: lastgeneration.de/participate/
We follow the locked up scientists to Munich – the resistance is just beginning
Berlin, October 31.10.2022, 09 00:XNUMX a.m.: We hereby declare very clearly: We are expanding our peaceful resistance to Munich in the coming days and will continue it for months.
Scientists from Scientist Rebellion from all over Europe have been protesting in Munich over the past few days, urgently warning about the deadly danger of climate catastrophe; desperate because their findings were not heard for decades. Twelve of them, who were arrested on Saturday during a climate protest in a BMW showroom, will remain in preventive detention in the Stadelheim correctional facility until November 4th in accordance with the Bavarian Police Duties Act - until the start of the upcoming COP27 climate conference.
We won't accept that. We cannot accept this if we want to survive. No, we follow the 12 courageous scientists and join the civil resistance like they did in Munich.
"I am aware that, according to the Bavarian police law, I have to take preventive measures 30 or even 60 days could be locked up. That doesn't stop me from resisting until the first security measures against climate collapse are taken", says Elena T. (Last generation), who also goes to Bavaria.
"Because Bavaria symbolizes Germany's climate failure and Germany in turn represents the failure of the entire industrialized world."
Scientist Rebellion is co-located with Debt4Climate, EndFossil: Occupy! and the Last Generation in a Coalition – Unite Against Climate Failure [1].
Hugo Raguet, scientist and father from France – currently locked up – at a road blockade in Munich: “It's going to be starvation and was everywhere, including here in Bavaria. I know it, I document it. It's really important that you get that this is true. It's really important that you take a step away from your daily life."(for video [2]).
For weeks we appealed for honesty, to speak plainly.
And over weeks of peaceful resistance in Berlin, the federal government continued to fail to implement the simplest security measures.
There is no longer any doubt: the government has no control over this! She fails completely! And thus leads us to destruction.
In the past she has ignored us, then insulted us and cursed us. We were shouted at, hugged and beaten in the streets. But we have come to stay. For the love of life and the confidence that we can create a better world for everyone.
Even today we sit on the streets and sign bridges of Berlin. Two people hold up an empty lab coat at the road blockade at the main train station - a symbol of the imprisoned researchers.
The streets of this country are the place of our peaceful rebellion, the place of our choice. And even if we end up in prison for it, then the cell is the place of our destiny.
And whether we succeed or fail, there is no world in which we do not try, as is our inalienable right and moral duty.
Because in the face of the abyss, there is no future without courage.
[1] unite-against-climate-failure.de/english
[2] twitter.com/MrMatthewTodd/status/1586332277503819777
Glued to dinosaurs – mothers in the natural history museum “Our children should not die from the climate catastrophe”
Berlin, October 30.10.2022, 13, 30:XNUMX a.m – At the best time for visiting, two mothers of the last generation caused a stir in the Berlin Natural History Museum. They stuck to the 66 million year old dinosaur skeleton because the federal government's climate policy threatens the lives of all people. Just like the dinosaurs back then, we are threatened with climate changes that we cannot withstand. If we do not want to find ourselves threatened with extinction, we must act now.
The summer heat waves were just the harbingers of the inferno that is heading our way. We are on the path to the coming wars, famines and floods destroying us as humanity. Says this Caris Connell (34), one of the mothers: “I am afraid of forest fires, water shortages, famine and war. The dinosaurs became extinct because they could not withstand massive climate changes. This is also a threat to us: 150 species go extinct every day. And that is just the beginning."
This decline in our society will particularly affect our children. In burning cities with bombed-out houses they will have to fight for their food and drink. None of this would have to happen if we were brave enough to stand up to the interests of selfish lobbies. This injustice can Solvig Schinköthe (42) does not accept it and finds clear words about it: “I am a mother of four children and I am afraid of the consequences of the climate catastrophe. Peaceful resistance is our method of choice to protect our children from the deadly ignorance of governments! We finally have to speak plainly. We have already left the zone of safe living conditions."
But the destruction that awaits us is not set in stone. We have a short window of time in which we can avert the life-threatening changes we have created. We must immediately cut emissions in order to stop the mass extinction that has already begun. With simple and quick measures – such as a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways and affordable public transport – a first, long overdue step would be taken.
Civil resistance continues – What happens if the government doesn’t prevent climate collapse?
Berlin, June 28.10.2022, 8, 20:XNUMX a.m – The blockades of the last generation in Berlin are not going away. In various places in the capital, supporters of the movement are currently bringing traffic to a standstill by peacefully sticking themselves to the asphalt.
On several sign bridges, supporters of the last generation have chained themselves to the bridge structure with so-called 'fingerlocks'. For this purpose, these individual fingers were attached to small tubular structures. Some walk along the queues of cars with posters. They are calling on the government to finally take effective measures to get the climate catastrophe under control.
Also takes part in the blockades Daniel Eckert: "Things cannot continue the way things are going now. Not even the simplest measures are being implemented - such as a speed limit on motorways or an affordable local transport ticket that the general population can afford. Instead, wind turbines are being torn down to extract more coal and merrily investing in deadly fossil fuels."
"We must now come together as a whole society to find a solution to the most pressing problem of our time“, says the speaker of the last generation, Aimee van Baalen. "We want a fair solution for everyone. Once the tipping points are reached, the climate catastrophe will hit humanity with full force and will no longer be able to be stopped. Now we still have the chance to turn things around."
With the approaching climate collapse, not only ecological disasters such as droughts, heat waves and floods are threatened in the near future. The social consequences will also be extreme. As early as 2021, around 23,7 million people were forced to leave their homes due to the already catastrophic consequences of climate change [1].
The World Bank estimates that by 2050 more than 140 million people will flee their home countries due to extreme weather, crop failures and floods. Determined climate action could significantly reduce this number and the associated suffering [2] - but the current course of governments points in a different direction.
[1] www.uno-fluechtlingshilfe.de/informieren/fluechtlingszahlen
[2] www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/03/19/meet-the-human-faces-of-climate-migration
Mothers block Frankfurter Tor – What fate threatens their children if the climate emergency gets out of control?
Berlin, June 27.10.2022, 08, 05:XNUMX a.m – Today eight mothers interrupt their everyday lives at the Frankfurter Tor. Together, the Last Generation supporters stick themselves to the asphalt and bring traffic on this main artery in Berlin to a standstill. The fear that their children will grow up in a world full of war over water and food drives them to action. On the banner is the question that keeps her up at night: “What if the government doesn’t have this under control?”
Cynics would certainly accuse the worried mothers of doomsday hysteria. But the opposite is the case: “I want to speak in plain language. […] If we do not quickly reverse this development, then our children and grandchildren will wage wars over water and food. The situation is that bad!"
This quote comes not from the mothers who stick themselves on the streets today, but from Frans Timmermans, EU Commissioner for Climate Protection in relation to global warming last year on ZDF. [1]
Sonja Manderbach could close your eyes and ears to this reality, as Olaf Scholz does, for example. Instead, the mother of a 15-year-old daughter decides to take action and engage in civil resistance. Because this is the most successful means that civil society has at its disposal to defend itself against great injustice. In Munich yesterday, Wednesday November 26.11th, a street was blocked by scientists to promote a speed limit of 100 km/h and a €9 climate ticket. 18 of them were imprisoned.
"My daughter's right to life and liberty is non-negotiable. You are obliged to protect it, Mr. Scholz. Nevertheless, the Federal Constitutional Court confirms that you don't do it. I won't accept that!“, says the 45-year-old church musician. [2]
Auch Ulrike Hurka (44) is sitting on the street today for her four children: “I'm here today because I want my children to have a better life. Just like I had it better than my parents. The solutions and safety measures are there if we as a society are brave enough to tackle them. Tempo 100 and a €9 ticket can be implemented here and now and are the beginning of a better world for our children. "
Even Audi boss Markus Duesmann shows more social responsibility in this matter than a government led by Social Democrats. The Audi manager supports a speed limit and, as a next step, is even thinking out loud about car-free days in order to save oil. He tells the SZ that he himself would ride his racing bike on the then empty highways. [3]
In Munich yesterday, 18 scientists demonstrated responsibility while campaigning against the federal government continuing to do so. They have been in police custody ever since.
[1] https://twitter.com/XRBerlin/status/1584273806486822912?s=20&t=ehvnY1hEzAGQVv4AZYqHaw
[2] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/klimaschutzgesetz-bundesverfassungsgericht-101.html
Blindfolded on the streets – What if the government continues to ignore the climate emergency?
Berlin, October 26.10.2022, 8, 15:XNUMX a.m – Once again, supporters of the last generation are disrupting everyday life in Berlin through highway and city center blockades. Some of them sit on the street blindfolded. In doing so, they illustrate the government's response to the climate emergency. It closes its eyes to the approaching catastrophe and to scientists warning ever louder and more urgently, thereby raising the question: 'What if the government doesn't have the climate emergency under control?'.
Only recently, at the World Health Summit, Chancellor Olaf Scholz found frightening words for the desperate attempt by dozens of scientists to make their findings heard: “I think the best way to improve discussions is to stop listening and move on."
Jacob Beyer, spokesman for the Last Generation, classifies the statement: “Of course, this sentence is shocking. Unfortunately, many other politicians react similarly. They are outraged by those who so clearly demonstrate to them the government's failures in the climate emergency. They take refuge in this artificial outrage and ignore reality and their own responsibility to the population."
One by one, scientists are opposing this escape from reality. They choose to break the law because their warnings about the destabilization and violent collapse of our society fall on deaf ears. Yesterday, supporters of Scientist Rebellion blocked the building of the asset manager BlackRock in Munich, starting a series of numerous planned civil resistance actions in the city. [1]
Even at the universities themselves, students are finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate the gap between reality and political discussion. Under the motto “End Fossil – Occupy!” Students have been occupying the largest lecture hall at the University of Göttingen since yesterday. More are to follow – across Europe.
The Last Generation, scientists from Scientist Rebellion and End Fossil: Occupy! are all part of the “Unite against Climate Failure” alliance for which surrender in the event of a climate emergency is not an option.
Winfried Lorenz (63), a printer by profession, explains what drives him to resolutely continue the civil resistance: “We do this because we are afraid. Because we are disappointed and angry. But above all because we still have hope. The hope that we as a society can turn things around and provide ourselves and future generations with a future worth living."
The window of opportunity for such a turnaround is threatening to close. The 1,5 degree target has long been lost. We are heading towards a much hotter world and with it global food and water shortages. It is already clear: politicians' hesitation will have catastrophic consequences and cause incredible suffering. [2]
Credentials:
[1] https://scientistrebellion.com/press/
[2] Summary for Policymakers (ipcc.ch)
Climate change made 2022's northern-hemisphere droughts 'at least 20 times' more likely – Carbon Brief
Analysis: What the new IPCC report says about how to limit warming to 1.5C or 2C – Carbon Brief
Scientist Rebellion and Debt for Climate are blocking BlackRock to highlight their role in expanding fossil fuel production and indebtedness in the Global South
Munich, October 25, 2022. As part of a protest phase that lasts until November 4, 14 members of Scientist Rebellion and another 14 members of Debt for Climate are blocking the BlackRock building in Munich. Some broke into the building, 12 taped themselves, and two others performed a performance using fake oil to highlight the deadly consequences of fossil fuel investments for the global south. Shortly after the start of the operation, the police were on site with a large contingent of officers and police vehicles.​​​​​​
“There is no plausible way to stay below 1,5°C global warming. Our politicians know this. We call on the German government to admit its failure in climate protection and to take immediate security measures. Immediately cancel the horrendous debts of the countries that will suffer the most in a 1,5°C hotter world! It is the rich countries of the global north that have historically contributed the most to causing the climate crisis. With a 1,5°C hotter world fast approaching, canceling the global South’s debt is a matter of common sense and climate justice,” says Esteban Servat, biologist, Debt for Climate.
As part of the Unite-Against-Climate-Failure coalition, both groups are calling on the federal government to immediately write to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and advocate for the cancellation of all debts of the Global South. This is necessary to achieve a transition to a more sustainable world and prevent global climate collapse. They made the same demand last week in Berlin, where they occupied the Finance Ministry.
“I am here because nonviolence has the power to reveal the most uncomfortable truth: if we do not rebel, everything we love will be immediately destroyed by our economic system.” – Dr. Mauricio Misquero, physicist and mathematician, Scientist Rebellion.
Scientist Rebellion wants to raise public awareness that the 1,5°C limit is political fiction and, from a scientific perspective, will be exceeded in 10 years at the latest. We are already feeling the catastrophic consequences of this fictional policy today through deadly environmental disasters.
As part of the campaign, supportive actions are taking place around the world. Last Wednesday, October 19th, activists from the group ¡Ya es Ya!, including several scientists, occupied the German embassy in Panama. Scientist Rebellion Tanzania took to the streets in Dar es Salaam on October 21st demanding debt cancellation for the Global South. Scientists in Sierra Leone called on politicians to educate society about injustice and cancel debt. Demonstrations and supporting events also took place in Rwanda on October 22nd.
Scientist Rebellion is an association of international scientists and academics founded in 2021 who call for civil disobedience on the occasion of political failure in the climate crisis.
The growing movement mobilizes scientists from all over Europe and is part of a coalition of non-violent civil resistance groups that will join forces in October 2022 with the #UniteAgainstClimateFailure campaign to limit the damage as quickly as possible. Coalition partners include: Last Generation, Debt for Climate, End Fossil Occupy, and Now or Never – Parents Against the Fossil Industry.
Blockages are entering the 3rd week
“How many weeks until 100 km/h?”
Berlin, October 24.10.2022, 8, 15:XNUMX a.m – For the 3rd week in a row, people of the last generation are interrupting traffic on Berlin's main arteries and motorways this morning (three gantries and several road blockades). They are demanding that the federal government put an end to the speeding on German motorways. On Saturday, Mr. Wissing's pictures of the Ministry of Transport with five hundred “Tempo 100” signs were very popular on social media; The signs had been delivered there by people of the last generation.
Meanwhile she speaks Facts about the speed limit a clear language:
- The majority of Germans are in favor of a speed limit on the motorways [1].
- Even the Bundestag factions of the SPD and the Greens, who rejected a corresponding request from the Left last week, are actually in favor of the speed limit and “could not agree [only] because they could not have agreed on a speed limit with the FDP in the coalition agreement”. [2]
- The The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) judges clearly: A speed limit would help to mitigate the deadly course of the climate catastrophe - UBA boss Dirk Messner: “[In the transport sector] every opportunity must be used, especially if it is almost free and can be implemented immediately.”[3]
- Besides improves a speed limit completely free of charge traffic safety, air quality and noise pollution.
- Even the conservative ADAC gave up his resistance to a speed limit a long time ago; In an internal opinion poll, 50% were in favor of a speed limit. [4]
For these reasons, civil society recently founded the “Speed ​​Limit Now” [5] initiative, which is supported across party lines by transport and environmental experts.
"It is clear: The fact that the speed limit has not been decided long ago is pure lobbying and clientel politics. That has nothing to do with real democracy. At this historic moment, when we can still avert apocalyptic numbers of heat deaths, flood victims and famine, we need a government that shows now that things can be better. Who stands up for common sense and decides what the majority of Germans are demanding, as are experts and the Federal Environment Agency: the speed limit.” – like that Aimee van Baalen, speaker of the Last Generation.
And Simon Lachner, environmental engineer from Munich: “How many weeks does it take to reach 100 km/h? Mr. Wissing received the signs. People die on Germany's highways every day. The other countries laugh at us because we can't manage even such a simple measure."
The question for the Climate Chancellor remains: How many weeks will it take to reach 100 km/h, Mr. Scholz?
Credentials:
[1] Surveys speed limit: www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/energie-krise-mehrheit-befuerwortet-temporaeres-tempolimit-auf-autobahnen-spiegel-umfrage-a-dbc41614-3a53-4903-8ace-44bd6232ed29 – see more under [4]
[2] Speed ​​limit debate in the Bundestag: www.heise.de/news/Tempolimit-SPD-und-Gruene-dafuer-stimm-im-Bundesstag-aber-dagegen-7313667.html
[3] Federal Environment Agency on the speed limit: www.umweltbundesamt.de/presse/pressemitrichtenen/tempolimit-auf-autobahnen-mindert-co2-emisions
[4] ADAC on the speed limit: www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article237050201/ADAC-Vom-Tempolimit-Gegner-zur-Radfahrer-Lobby-erstaunlicher-Wandel.html
[5] Speed ​​limit initiative: speed limit.now/
Mashed potatoes on Monet's grain stacker
What is worth more, art or life?
You can find the video here: twitter.com/sixtus/status/1584170306452586496?s=20&t=BO1VEeiE3-Wjob-Xiy-hHg
Potsdam, October 23.10.2022, 14, 00:XNUMX p.m – In the early afternoon, two supporters of the Last Generation caused an uproar at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam. They paused in front of Monet's “Les Meules” and with heavy hearts but determinedly threw mashed potatoes onto the art treasure. In doing so, they are asking society the same question as two courageous young women with tomato soup in the National Gallery in London a week ago: What is worth more, art or life? More and more people are refusing to silently accept the progressive destruction and endangerment of human life on our planet.
The painting was not damaged during the action. In complete contrast to the immeasurable suffering that floods, storms and droughts are already bringing upon us today as harbingers of the impending catastrophe.
Mirjam Herrmann (25) gave a fiery speech in front of the painting that she had just thrown mashed potatoes at: “People are starving, people are freezing, people are dying. We are in climate catastrophe. And all you're afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting. Do you know what I'm afraid of?"
Aimee van Baalen, spokesperson for Last Generation, classifies the action on the painting, which sold for almost $111 million: “Monet loved nature and captured its unique and fragile beauty in his works. How can it be that so many are more afraid of one of these images of reality being damaged than of the destruction of our world itself, whose magic Monet so admired?
We must not lose ourselves in the idyll on the screen, but must face reality! There will be no time to admire art if we fight over food and water!"
In the meantime, not only scientific data but even a quick look at the daily news make it clear: we are running out of time. China is currently suffering from the worst heat wave in history. In Nigeria, 1,3 million people have lost their homes and over 600 their lives due to severe flooding in recent months.
The government must finally take the first long-overdue safety measures in order to be able to limit the extent of the disaster. Their inaction raises the question of whether they still have the situation under control - and is driving more and more determined people onto the streets.
Through peaceful civil resistance, they protect themselves against everything that we are in danger of irrevocably losing. Security, peace, democracy and, last but not least, art.
Last generation Wissing supplies signs:
“We wanted to give the Volker a hand”
Here you can find the cover photo for this press release:
drive.google.com/file/d/18Uvfrg0r6CkFPWo48_WSyfEUAI3VxA6m/view?usp=sharing
Saturday, October 22, 2022, 10:00 a.m – The last generation delivers 100 km/h signs to Transport Minister Wissing. We have to be grateful to the peacefully engaged citizens. Because of their brave commitment, the last hurdle to finally introducing the speed limit that the whole world is waiting for has now been removed.
It is Saturday shortly after 10 a.m. in front of the Federal Ministry of Transport when a silver van drives calmly up and comes to a stop in front of the historic entrance portal. As soon as the door opens, several helpers jump from the loading area and gradually place 500 km/h 100 signs in awe on the expansive steps of the huge building.
Your free sign donation dates back to last April, when Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing argued against a speed limit that there weren't enough signs for it. [1]
Mirjam Herrmann, 25, is one of the local volunteers. She stands over the pile of signs and holds a self-painted cardboard box that postulates: 'No speed limit at the speed limit!'
"We are here to help” she says to a camera aimed at her. “We've been calling for a speed limit for months. Now we have remembered that Volker Wissing has this sign problem. Of course we don't want to be so mean and demand something that is already logistically completely impossible for the Ministry of Transport. Then I said to the others: 'Come on, let's take heart and give Volker a little help."
Miriam Meyer (30) with the sign 'Let's gooooo - speed limit!': "During the preparation we realized that it is actually not that easy to get so many real metal signs. But I think the plastic dummies will do the trick temporarily until we have a long-term solution."
Her colleague Edmund Schultz, 58, with the cardboard box with the inscription 'I <3 speed limit' added:
"INOverall, we were a bit confused by the problem because when we googled it, we found out that you don't need signs for a general speed limit because it applies the same everywhere anyway. But we thought to ourselves: What's the point of being stingy? If Mr. Wissing needs signs to implement what everyone wants; Then who are we to deny him this wish?"
[1] www.spiegel.de/auto/tempolimit-volker-wissing-begruendet-ablehnung-mit-schildermangel-a-f3a7f83b-d8f4-481d-8d00-cb08333132df
Blockades at Berlin Central Station - 100 km/h as the first security measure
Berlin, June 21.10.2022, 16, 30:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation are currently bringing traffic to a standstill at the main train station and other places in Berlin. They criticize the fact that even the federal government's inadequate climate targets are not being implemented and that we are instead being led further into the abyss of climate catastrophe.
Participates in the traffic blockade at Berlin Central Station Lisa Winkelmann, 20: “I am very afraid that if our government continues like this, our livelihoods will go down the drain and we will face droughts, heat waves, species extinctions and floods on an as yet unknown scale. Now the catastrophe can be somewhat stopped. The government must enable people to switch as a first precautionary measure. From uncontrolled speed on motorways to affordable public transport."
There are also disruptions in other places. Citizens of the last generation climbed onto sign gantries over the Berlin city highway and clung to the support system. Bloody hand injuries have occurred more frequently in the last two weeks. Most recently yesterday, when a citizen of the last generation had his taped hand torn from the street by a police chief on the street in front of the Frankfurter Gate, which then had to be treated medically. In addition to injuries and attacks on pain-sensitive parts of the body, we see many police officers who act very carefully and get people off the street with skateboards.
The Speaker of the Last Generation, Aimee van Baalen, 23, is determined: “Everyone knows that the government's climate goals are lax and that it is still failing even at these goals. It is a farce if even the simplest necessary safety measures are not taken, such as a speed limit of 100 km/h on German motorways. Our protest will continue in the next few weeks and will become even broader and more diverse."
Jacob Beyer, 29, Last Generation speaker states: “A speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways would save 5,7 million tonnes of CO2. [1] We want simple, affordable mobility for everyone and cities that are designed for coexistence instead of just for industry and car traffic."
Scientists from the Scientist Rebellion group also emphasize the need for initial safety measures in times of energy and cost crisis through a speed limit on motorways and affordable public transport (€9 ticket). [2] They protested at the World Health Summit last week, occupied the Federal Ministry of Transport in Berlin in the past few days and stuck themselves in the Porsche pavilion in the Autostadt Wolfsburg for over 24 hours. The researchers criticized Volkswagen for its contribution to an escalation of the climate crisis and called on the company not to further delay urgent climate protection measures. [3]
[1] www.umweltbundesamt.de/presse/pressemitrichtenen/tempolimit-auf-autobahnen-mindert-co2-emisions
[2] scientistsrebellion.com
unite-against-climate-failure.de/german/our-demands
Traffic brought to a standstill at Frankfurter Tor
Berlin, October 20.10.2022, 8 35:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the Last Generation have currently gathered at the Frankfurter Tor and brought traffic to a standstill. The central location, in the middle of Berlin, makes it clear that the climate emergency affects everyone.
Yesterday's decision to reject the speed limit is a further step by the federal government against securing people's livelihoods. The decision is also difficult to understand because the majority of the population is in favor of a speed limit. [1]
Eleventh day of disruptions – rejection of the speed limit is a slap in the face to democracy
Berlin, October 20.10.2022, 7, 30:XNUMX a.m – The proposal for a speed limit of 130 km/h on German motorways was rejected yesterday by the Transport Committee of the Bundestag [1]. Only the left, which had submitted the motion itself, agreed. In contrast, a majority of Germans have long recognized the speed limit as a necessary measure in the event of a climate emergency.
The supporters of the last generation feel vindicated by this deadly irresponsibility of our elected representatives. On the eleventh day of the break, they climbed back onto the steel structures on which the traffic signs above the A100 are attached. In order to remove people from there, a complete closure of Germany's largest motorway is often necessary. In order to prolong this process, many of the supporters stick themselves at a dizzy height with superglue.
Aimee von Baalen, 23, speaker of the last generation finds clear words for politics: “Yesterday's decision is a slap in the face to democracy. Now, at this historic moment, it is a matter of life and death for our entire society. And those in power in this country cannot even agree on the simplest security measures. What actually happens to us citizens if the government doesn't have this under control?"
"We are in an emergency where political posturing is not an option. That's why we disrupt everyday life. That's why we climb on sign bridges. We are becoming more and more and will do it again and again. The government simply cannot get away with sacrificing all of our lives for profit and ego games.”, says the Regensburg engineer Simon Lachner, 24, who climbed a sign bridge today.
The government still cannot agree on initial safety measures such as a speed limit or a permanent €9 ticket. Instead, people are being dragged to court who act out of fear for the lives of everyone in Germany. With a road blockade in January, Lisa R. wanted to make the warning calls about the collapse of society unmistakable. Yesterday she was convicted of coercion. The judge lacked the courage to acquit. Apparently, however, he secretly believes that the road blockade is not reprehensible, because the punishment is extremely lenient: three hours of consultation with the youth court service about whether there are legal ways to counteract climate collapse.
This continues the series of very different judgments. While on Monday Judge Dr. Last accuses a supporter of the last generation of “anti-democratic behavior” and imposes an even harsher punishment than the public prosecutor's office demanded, his direct colleague at the Tiergarten district court decides that criminal liability is ruled out from the outset, even without a trial. In the coming months, the courts will have to examine very carefully whether the rule of law protects the right of the civilian population to resist a government that has decided to stubbornly pursue a course that is fatal to democracy.
Inner city blockades – resistance in the heart of Berlin
Berlin, October 19.10.2022, 09, 10:XNUMX a.m – In the middle of the city center, people of the last generation pause their everyday lives and sit on Torstrasse and Landsberger Allee. During the morning rush hour, seven bridges over the A100 were climbed.
"We need the disruption of everyday life to initiate change. We must come together as a society and decide together, democratically, what the change to a better world should look like. That's why we're taking the resistance into the city center of Berlin today", explained Jacob Beyer, speaker of the Last Generation.
During a blockade in front of Berlin Central Station last Monday, four Berliners spontaneously sat down with the people who were already stuck there. Another stood protectively behind a taped Last Generation supporter.
A paramedic who happened to be there said about the action: “That's just very brave. I think the topic should definitely receive more attention. I thought it was really great to see an emergency lane being created."[1]
The question facing citizens is: What if the government doesn't have it under control? There is not much time left to bring about change, as the first tipping points of the climate system will be passed in just a few years. But it's not too late yet.
For more information and the opportunity to contribute to the change yourself, please visit the Last Generation website: lastgeneration.de/
Climbed seven signposts on the A100 – judges argue about the criminal liability of resistance
Berlin, October 19.10.2022, 8, 15:XNUMX a.m – Supporters of the last generation climbed seven sign gantries on the A100. Many also attached themselves to the steel beams with superglue. This is intended to cause an even greater disruption to traffic than the typical road blockades that the last generation is known for. At the same time, citizens regularly find themselves in court because of past traffic interruptions.
Last Monday, Berlin's Senator for the Interior made a statement Iris Spranger (SPD) on the peaceful resistance of the last generation. “What's happening here is no longer a game“, said the SPD politician to the Interior Committee.
Speaker of the Last Generation, Aimee van Baalen to: "That's right, Ms. Spranger, the climate emergency is not a game. Over 150 deaths in the Ahr Valley are no game. 100.000 heat deaths in Europe are no joke either. These are human lives. That's why we need initial security measures now. As soon as the government finally tackles this boldly and sticks to the Basic Law, we can all be spared the disruption."
The Last Generation calls on the government to implement measures quickly and comprehensively that are commensurate with the climate emergency. As the first safety measures, citizens are demanding a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways and a permanent €9 ticket.
In the past few days, the police have again tried to encourage supporters of the last generation to leave the road independently using measures such as twisting their wrists. One person suffered a circulatory collapse as a result of the shock and several people had to be treated as outpatients in hospital.
Yesterday, Johann O., a medical student from Berlin, was sentenced to a fine of 600 euros in the Tiergarten district court. Other judges had always expressed understanding in the proceedings of the past few weeks and were rather reluctant to condemn.
Not so yesterday Judge Dr. Last, who at the end of the hearing went into a real angry speech and accused the defendant of “anti-democratic behavior”. [2]
His colleagues see it differently: A judge consistently rejects punishment orders because he classifies the road blockades as assemblies as “essential for the democratic constitutional state”. [3] And in the trial against Henning Jeschke, Judge Gschwendtner described the act as “morally justified”.
John O. explains: “Last winter I suddenly realized that I had to stand up to the deadly system“. He thanked the operations manager who was present at the time for the “measured approach” in clearing the road. [2]
In the coming weeks and months, the judges will have to live up to their constitutional responsibility to clarify how humanity can be protected by the rule of law in the face of climate collapse. This battle for justice will be fought out in hundreds of court cases against the Last Generation. The next one is today at 9:20 a.m. at Wilsnacker Str. 4, 10559 Berlin, in room B145.
[1] https://twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1581944836273623046?s=20&t=nQRSShoSgNVkyLGjAp8Hqw
[2] rbb from yesterday, section “Impunity for highway blockers?”, paragraph 2: www.rbb24.de/panorama/teil/2022/10/berlin-amtsgericht-tiergarten-last-generation-klimaaktivist-verjudt.html
After court case: Pipeline disrupted again
Strasbourg (MV), October 18.10.2022, 14, 00:XNUMX p.m – Exactly a week ago, Raúl Semmler appeared in court for repeatedly turning off PCK pipelines. The PCK demanded up to 250.000 euros. Semmler is now facing financial ruin, and in the event of insolvency he is threatened with a substitute prison sentence. Nevertheless, four supporters of the last generation have just disrupted the oil pipeline between Rostock and Schwedt again. “We won't allow ourselves to be intimidated. We cannot afford this because our entire society is at stake!said Kevin Hecht (30), who was stuck to the pipeline today.
To express their support, BUND members have simultaneously announced a vigil in front of the company headquarters. The board of the BUND Bergstrasse district association was there.
Those involved address their actions directly to the federal government. PCK recently took over this via trust. It would now be their responsibility to offer the people of Schwedt sustainable jobs instead of putting the entire society at risk by continuing to operate the crude oil plants for decades. [1]
Maria Braun (18):
"The federal government is lying to employees when it says their jobs are safe with oil. We disrupted this pipeline again today because more oil means more exploitation; more exploitation of employees, more exploitation of people who suffer from the consequences of climate destruction. We can do better! Let us now build a world worth living in together."
PCK's 1200 employees are the skilled workers who are desperately needed to achieve the major economic transformation in Germany. That's why it's particularly tragic that the federal government is plunging them headfirst into the next economic disaster. Only recently did the PCK find itself in economically troubled waters. The reason for this was the high dependence on Russian oil. Now the aim is to change suppliers instead of initiating a future-oriented transformation at full speed. The federal government wants to invest a total of 400 million euros in the oil pipeline that has been shut down today. [2]
Further events of the last few days: Since this autumn, the Last Generation has been carrying out civil resistance together with the scientists from Scientist Rebellion and Debt4Climate in the coalition “Unite against Climate Failure”. Yesterday in the Ministry of Finance they called for debt cancellation for countries in the global south. Today the scientists from Scientist Rebellion are blocking the entrances to the Ministry of Transport to demand the introduction of a speed limit and a 9 euro ticket for buses and trains.
[1] “Crude oil will remain one of the most important energy sources in Germany for decades.” – PCK website
“When it comes to the future, we speak in terms of decades” – Ralf Schairer, Managing Director of PCK
[2]
www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/suche/gemeinsame-erklaerung-zur-zukunft-des-standorts-schwedt-2127034
Chancellor Scholz on the resistance: “don’t listen and carry on” –
World Health Summit interrupted and motorway blockages again
Berlin, June 17.10.2022, 08, 45:XNUMX a.m – Yesterday, Sunday, citizens of Scientist Rebellion [1], the Last Generation and Debt4Climate [2] jointly interrupted the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin. When the fire alarm was triggered, Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the resistance from the population [3]. The last generation, which had announced on Saturday that it would “intensify” resistance, also interrupted motorway traffic on numerous exits this morning.
The World Health Summit: Scientists in white lab coats and citizens in high-visibility vests protest in front of the entrance [4] and set off the fire alarm inside. They form the “Unite against Climate Failure” coalition and warn of the immense health risks of the climate crisis [5].
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz takes the stage: “They do protests about climate and things like that and think it will improve our discussions. And I think the best way to improve the discussions is to not listen and move on.” [6]
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach agrees with the resistance: “Your request is absolutely right. That’s very clear.” When asked about the campaign itself, he said: “This campaign is ok.” [7]
Janina Meisl (30), a speech therapist and mother from Cologne, who is sitting on the street today, classifies the statements: “The climate catastrophe also threatens our health! Just a few days ago it was reported that 100.000 people in Europe have simply died this year from the extreme heat in the summer. We are all running out of time for protective intervention! And the Chancellor says the solution is: 'don't listen and carry on'? We've been asking the question since last week: What if he doesn't have it under control?"
Flood disasters are also increasing now: raging floods in the Ahr Valley and just a few weeks ago a third of Pakistan was under water. More than 1300 people died in Pakistan, including hundreds of children [8]. The forecast: Extreme weather events will increase and become more severe as a result of global warming.
Jacob Bayer (29), speaker of the Last Generation emphasizes: “The flood disasters in Pakistan and the Ahr Valley and this year's hot summer in Europe are just the harbingers of a total climate collapse. We must now respond decisively to this emergency. The government must immediately take simple security measures. Because now we still have the chance to act and save the climate!"
As the first socially and climate-friendly measures, the last generation is calling for the introduction of a 100km/h speed limit on German motorways and a 9-euro ticket for local public transport.
[1] https://scientistrebellion.com/
[2] https://debtforclimate.org/
[3] See dpa news channel from last night. Here report ZEIT online: www.zeit.de/news/2022-10/16/weltgesundheitsgipfel-durch-feueralarm-unterbrochen
On video at yahoo!: www.yahoo.com/now/chancellor-scholz-urges-world-health-200629743.html
[4] See press photos from gestern: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bIsVsaPxPY7SkkzrDsGoLvLY-pld28kf
[5] Mirror over 100.000 heat deaths in Europe this summer: www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/klimawandel-erhoeht-sterblichkeit-in-europa-100-000-tote-zusaetzlich-im-sommer-2022-a-49651597-e247-4b4d-ab76-41469994554f
[6] https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/feueralarm-weltgesundheitsgipfel-in-berlin-unterbrochen-li.277356
[7] Here is the video with Lauterbach's statements (from 0:35 min.): drive.google.com/file/d/1y4y3TSd84-Lnde1yUaSzZlGAOlZjS9ul/view
[8] Flood disaster: A third of Pakistan under water – ZDF today
Citizens on Berlin's main traffic arteries - call for free travel
Berlin, October 14.10.2022th, 8, XNUMX:XNUMX a.m – Instead of making buses and trains affordable for everyone in Germany, the Conference of Transport Ministers decided yesterday to further delay this measure, which is absolutely necessary in the climate emergency. That's why the people of the last generation are once again sitting on Berlin's main traffic arteries today to make their call for “€9 for everyone” unmistakable. They receive support from BUND representatives who stand behind them with their green banners. Tomorrow, many supporters across the country will be traveling on public transport without a ticket, but instead with banners and signs, and are calling on everyone in Germany to do the same.
Over the past two days, the federal and state transport ministers have been negotiating the continuation of the €9 ticket. At the end of this agreement it is now clear that there should be a ticket for €49, provided the federal government agrees to invest more money in regional public transport.
A speaker of the last generation, Jacob Bayer (28), explains why this result allows additional valuable time to pass that we no longer have in the event of a climate emergency:
"Let's be clear: the way things are going right now, there may no longer be a German society in a few decades. Pension funds, health insurance, even the rule of law and democracy will be lost."
"In the transport sector, the best security measure against this terrible danger is attractive public transport. But instead of making this available to everyone for €9 a month, the federal government wants to increase this price fivefold. How come? Why is she ignoring this unique opportunity for improvement while all of our lives hang on a knife's edge?”, like this Bayer continue.
Even if many people may not be aware of it, there are millions of people in Germany who were able to afford mobility again for the first time with the 9 euro ticket [1]. These would be excluded from a much more expensive regulation. With the skyrocketing prices for fossil fuels, this group is also growing larger by the day.
That's why the citizens of the last generation are calling on all their fellow human beings to come tomorrow, Saturday, October 14.10th. traveling on public transport without a ticket. For a Germany in which your wallet doesn't determine whether you can visit your grandmother, while at the same time taking the first safety measures for a green, vibrant world.
Interruptions in afternoon traffic –
Reach your destination with 9 euros! – Conference of Transport Ministers watched with excitement
Berlin, October 13.10.2022, 16, 05:XNUMX a.m – There are also traffic disruptions in Berlin this afternoon. Once again, Last Generation supporters peacefully blocked several motorway exits. The activists are calling on the government to respond to the climate emergency in a socially just manner.
Aimee van Baalen (23), Last Generation speaker explains why people have gathered on the streets today: “It is absurd how the federal government's failed climate and social policy is wantonly blocking the life chances of all people. Even though we are the last generation still capable of acting, the government is not implementing even the simplest social security measures! You have to ask yourself whether she still has the situation under control. That’s why we’re joining the call for affordable public transport for everyone!”
Jens Klein-Bösing (42) is a carpenter and works in open child and youth work. He adds: “We would all benefit from a 9 euro ticket. Switching to public transport will become more attractive and affordable for many people. People are becoming more mobile, cities are becoming greener and safer. At the same time, this would be a small but important first step towards the planned and urgently needed climate neutrality. We're all in the same boat! Let’s show the youth how to keep it on course, not how to capsize it.”
The 9-euro ticket turned out to be a complete success in its short duration: around 1,8 million tons of CO2 were saved in three months alone. [1] Added to this was the high level of support from the population. Reintroducing the ticket would be a simple step towards a livable future, both socially and for the climate. Also the renowned climate scientist Friederike Otto emphasized in an interview: “Every tenth of a degree, every bit of emission really makes a difference”. [2]
The supporters of the last generation are therefore looking forward to the transport ministers' conference that is currently taking place. Will the federal and state governments seize the opportunity and continue the success story of the 9 euro ticket? It is clear that the proposals that have been put into play, which are 5 times to 10 times more expensive, would exclude millions of people in Germany, as speakers from the Greens and the Left also emphasized. [3] Fatal, because we need public transport that is affordable for everyone in Germany in order to address the climate emergency and at the same time strengthen social trust in one another.
As a temporary solution, committed people have launched a joint project - the 9 euro fund. Anyone who pays 9 euros a month here and otherwise travels without a ticket can pay any fines they may incur from the fund.[4]
[1] Balance 9 euro ticket | VDV – The transport companies
[2] Climate researcher in an interview: “Every tenth of a degree makes a difference” | tagesschau.de
[3] www.stern.de/news/druck-auf-verkehrsministerkonzept-wegen-nachaufnahme-fuer-neun-euro-ticket-32809006.html
[4] 9eurofonds.de/
Civil lawsuit against pipeline rip-off - PCK, managed by the government, wants to process crude oil for decades to come
Neubrandenburg, October 12.10.2022, 13, 00:XNUMX p.m - Raul Semmler von der Last Generation activated the emergency stop at several locations on the PCK pipeline in April of this year, thus interrupting the flow of oil.
His motive is to “want to end the destruction of our livelihoods caused by fossil fuels.”
On Tuesday, October 11.10th, the Neubrandenburg regional court dealt with the case.
Judge Steffen SeligmĂĽller confirmed an injunction against the actor and screenwriter RaĂşl Semmler.
In the spring, the “Last Generation” occupied pumping stations on the oil pipeline from Rostock to Schwedt in Brandenburg several times and published the pictures. The PCK sued against this. The PCK did not respond to an offer of cooperation.
The PCK argued that Semmler's pictures would damage its image. That's why the management demanded a fine of up to €250.000. Semmler appeared willing to cooperate and suggested an agreement: If PCK should stop enriching itself by destroying livelihoods and become an environmentally friendly company by 2024, he, as a studied screenwriter and actor, would help improve its image again.
Managing director of PCK, Ralf Schairer, turned down this offer. It’s clear to him, “Transformation takes time“. How much time? Schairer made that clear in June of this year. PCK will continue to process crude oil for decades to come [1].
This attitude is likely to be met with horror in the scientific community. “What we do in the next 3-4 years will determine the future of humanity! We are in a very, very desperate situation.” (Sir David King, former chief scientific advisor to the British government, researches at the world-famous Cambridge University, 2021) [2].
Only recently did the federal government take over the PCK in trust [3]. The federal government's actions are bound by the Basic Law - including the preservation of the basis of life and the protection of life and property - all legal interests that are threatened by the PCK's business model. It is now responsible for changing the company's course to protect livelihoods and create sustainable jobs for employees.
Raul Semmler"We still have 2-3 years! Companies will only go as far as they are forced to go. […] All citizens have a moral duty to resist a government that is complicit in the destruction of our livelihoods."
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=L5gUf_MEJ_8
[3] https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/klimaschutz/treuhandverwaltung-rosneft-2126938
Gatherings on Berlin's main traffic arteries - 100 km/h speed limit is necessary as an initial protective measure
Berlin, October 11.10.2022, 8, 15:XNUMX a.m – For the second day in a row, numerous citizens of the last generation are gathering on Berlin's main traffic arteries. With their banners they refer to the safety measure of a speed limit on German motorways, which is long overdue in the climate emergency. A majority of German citizens are also in favor of it. [1]
In addition to a quick return to the 9€ ticket, speed limits of 100 km/h on German motorways are one of the most overdue safety measures in the acute climate emergency situation Aimee van Baalen (23), Press Spokesperson of the Last Generation emphasizes:
"What should we say to the people in the Ahr Valley who lost friends and family members in the flood disaster? The climate emergency is an acute catastrophe! People in Germany are dying from it! Immediate safety measures are needed: a speed limit has to be part of it anyway. So why wait until more people lose their lives?"
Also on the street today Solvig Schinköthe (42). She calmly explains to a passer-by why she decided to peacefully resist the government's climate paralysis:
"Driving at 100 km/h on German motorways saves as much CO2 annually as approximately half a million German citizens emit together.[2][3] As much as living in all of Hanover! I see the forest burning in Brandenburg and, thinking about my 4 children, ask myself whether the federal government has it under control!"
The call for a speed limit is shared by a broad spectrum of society.
A majority of Germans want a speed limit. This is the conclusion reached by a survey published in Die Zeit in April. Civil society associations such as “All for the speed limit!”, mobility and energy experts, former top politicians of the FDP and even a majority of the ADAC car club are also in favor of a speed limit.
Yesterday a young woman was left with bleeding bruises when her hand, which had been taped, was removed from the road. The police tried several times to get people from the last generation to leave the road on their own, for example by pressing on pain-sensitive parts of their faces. [4] Nevertheless, many people took to the streets again today. Because they sit there for life. For a good life for their children, their friends and relatives. For a good life for all of us.
[4] https://twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1579559914472894464?s=20&t=l5NIn1raDvvzFwg-gl4ZiQ
Last Generation Requests Security Measures in Climate Emergency
Aimee van Baalen (23), press spokeswoman for the Last Generation, is on site and explains:
"Extreme weather will increasingly destroy crops, flood houses and paralyze infrastructure. If protective measures are not taken, the suffering, fear and despair of the people in our country will become so great that the rule of law and democracy themselves are in danger. Because we want to preserve these fundamental pillars, we must sound the alarm now.”
Painted Nierobisch (19) triggered the fire alarm in the Bundestag today. Last year he saw firsthand the full violence of an increasingly unstable climate. Malte was on site as a helper during the clean-up work of the major flood disaster.
"We all have to wake up now. In the climate emergency, we now need at least the first, simple safety measures from the government: a speed limit and affordable public transport for everyone!”
The world-famous naturalist David Attenborough issued a dire warning to the UN Security Council last year: "If the world can no longer meet our basic needs, then the rest of our civilization will quickly collapse. […] Climate change is the greatest security threat modern man has ever faced.”
In the early morning there were also several motorway blockades by supporters of the last generation in Berlin.
They all expect the federal government to fulfill its duty: to do everything possible to protect the population in an emergency. The fact that she is avoiding this duty by simply ignoring the emergency is unacceptable and endangers all of our lives.
Climate goals missed: What if the government doesn't have it under control?
Berlin, June 10.10.2022, 08, 15:XNUMX a.m – Numerous people of the last generation are currently bringing Berlin traffic to a standstill. They are blocking the city motorway in several locations and are demanding a speed limit on motorways and affordable public transport for everyone. The banners they hold up in the cold morning air show their guiding question: “What if the government doesn’t have this under control?”
Jacob Beyer (28) broke off his carpentry apprenticeship to join the civil resistance. He clarifies:
“We have to speak plainly now. This summer was the hottest in Europe since records began. In Brandenburg, people's properties were burned down, and the extreme heat claimed thousands of lives across the country. The situation is clear: 'We have an emergency!'”
Solvig Schinköthe (42), mother of four children, takes to the streets with her daughter Lina.
She explains : “I want a safe world for my children! With meadows and forests, cohesion and peace. Why aren't even the simplest safety measures like a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways finally being implemented? You have to ask yourself: What if the government doesn’t have this under control?”
And even a federal authority is sounding the alarm: At the 12th Extreme Weather Congress, which recently took place in Hamburg, Tobias Fuchs, board member of the German Weather Service, made it clear: “We are now experiencing climate change right on our doorstep and are directly affected ourselves.” [1]
In a letter to the federal government, the last generation offered to stop the disruptions at any time if at least the first, simplest security measures were taken. Until then, hundreds of citizens will be forced to interrupt everyday life in Berlin, as anything else would be tantamount to capitulation in the face of the impending catastrophe.
The letter has so far remained unanswered.
[1] https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/extremwetter-kongress-101.html
Chancellery beautified - On the national holiday, the last generation announces permanent motorway blockades
Berlin, October 03.10.2022, 17, 00:XNUMX a.m – Yesterday on German Unity Day, the citizens of the last generation announced permanent motorway blockades starting next week. They read out a corresponding statement in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin [1]. They then painted a heart in an orange circle on the wall of the government building as a symbol of the last generation.
On October 03, 1990, exactly 32 years ago, Germany was reunified. The Berlin Wall had fallen. For 32 years, October 03rd has been a reminder that cohesion, peace, freedom and democracy are the fundamental pillars for a good life for everyone.
The citizens of the last generation stood in front of the headquarters of the heads of government to make it clear that precisely this cohesion and this peace is threatened more dramatically today than ever before in the history of the Federal Republic. Drought, heat, forest fires and floods continue to increase. The number of people who are robbed of their belongings and loved ones by the climate crisis is already difficult to keep track of. The danger of setting off self-reinforcing effects and thus bringing about catastrophes of such terrible proportions that even the most peaceful, democratic society is bound to collapse is increasing.
Nevertheless, the federal government is failing to implement the simplest countermeasures. Speeding 100 km/h on motorways seems too restrictive and a 9 euro ticket seems too expensive. While millions of citizens no longer know how to go about their everyday lives due to increased costs and we are staring directly in the face of the collapse of our society, these simple safety measures are not being implemented.
“If the government doesn't come to its senses, we will pour onto Berlin's streets in a week and interrupt everyday life until things change - as we have already openly announced to the government. This is the only way we can seize our last chance to live a life of security and freedom.”, left Carla Rochel as part of the statement to the Federal Chancellery.
“The ideas and tools to solve this deep crisis are already in our hands. What the decision-makers still lack is the courage to build a world worth living in. The courage we can muster when people come together in citizens’ councils, agree on solutions together and implement them.”, added Kim Schultz added who was standing next to her.
The Last Generation appears in its resistance together with other groups such as Debt4Climate and the scientists from Scientist Rebellion. This coalition joins forces to stand in the way of the failure of the federal government and thus the destruction of our society.
Are the courts failing? – Henning Jeschke defends climate emergency
Berlin, June 28.09.2022, 12, 00:XNUMX a.m – The government is failing in the climate emergency. That's why Henning Jeschke and the Last Generation peacefully stuck themselves on the motorway exit in Berlin in June. Because of his resistance to fossil fuels, he was summoned to the Tiergarten district court today.
Although the judge saw Jeschke's actions as morally justified and dismissed the accusation of resistance, she sentenced him to a fine of 200 euros for “attempted coercion”.
Jeschke said: “I did the right thing and I will do it again. In a democracy, I not only have rights, but also an obligation to resist when a government acts criminally."
Henning Jeschke defended himself before the court. He confirmed that he had attended the peaceful gathering. It was also not disputed that this would lead to a significant interruption to everyday life.
The plea presented today was not about obtaining the lowest possible sentence, but rather about making clear to the court its own responsibility in the climate emergency. The court should recognize that civil resistance to a government course that leads ever deeper into the climate crisis is morally and legally justified.
"Our government continues to do nothing significant to prevent climate tipping points from being exceeded. These are not broken election promises, this is mass destruction. That's why I believe my actions are right and why I will continue to offer peaceful resistance, no matter what the court decides today.“, asked Jeschke already clear in his initial statement on the public prosecutor's allegations. You can find his entire opening statement in the appendix.
In order to explain the climate emergency to the court, the defense relied on publications by the most renowned German climate scientists, such as Prof. Dr. Stefan Rahmstorf, who in the past described us all as the “last generation” that could still prevent a climate catastrophe. [1] Dr. was personally there. Karim Zantout, post-doctoral researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He wanted to testify to the court that Germany's state countermeasures against the climate emergency were inadequate given the existential threat to our society. The court did not want to hear the scientist.
The Judge Geschwendtner was visibly touched. She is the mother of a 14-year-old daughter. “I know you're not crazy people stuck on the highway, you don't know what else to do.“, she said today in the direction of the defendant.
Nevertheless, in the end she sentenced Jeschke to 20 daily rates. At the same time, she adds that his actions were morally justified, but not legally.
"Even after today's verdict, I will certainly not be a spectator as we hurtle toward destruction. If even the judge has to recognize that road blockades are morally justified - if she has to recognize that holding a banner next to the road is not a suitable means of stopping the collapse of our society, then the task to us citizens is actually clear .", says Henning Jeschke shortly after the trial.
[1] www.zeit.de/video/2019-09/6087750314001/klimawandel-was-wenn-wir-nichts-tun?sort=desc&page=28
Lectures in 21 cities – Last Generation calls for civil resistance during Fridays for Future strike
This Friday, on the occasion of the global climate strike, lectures by the Last Generation will take place in a total of 21 German cities. (You can find a list of all dates here) The events, which will often be called for directly at the Fridays for Future rallies, provide information about the devastating consequences of the climate catastrophe. Participants are also invited to join the civil resistance on Berlin's streets starting October 10th.
Henning Jeschke (22), co-initiator of the Last Generation, addresses the strikers: “It's great to see how many people are raising their voices for a safer and fairer future. Given the dramatic situation we find ourselves in, being loud is no longer enough. Worldwide, the number of victims of the climate catastrophe is already increasing immeasurably. We can no longer afford the deadly course of our federal government. It's time for peaceful civil resistance!"
List of all cities where there will be lectures this Friday:
- Bonn
- Dresden
- DĂĽsseldorf
- Göttingen
- Greifswald
- Heilbronn
- Karlsruhe
- Kassel
- Cologne
- Leipzig
- LĂĽbeck
- Mainz
- Mannheim
- Munich
- Nuremberg
- Oldenburg
- Passau
- Potsdam
- Stuttgart
- Ulm
- WolfenbĂĽttel
The action took place in response to a recently published interview with Lindner in which, among other things, he called for oil drilling in the North Sea and the full utilization of fracking capacities. [1]
Eika Jacob (40) explains: “Such statements are shocking. As part of the government, Christian Lindner has committed to its climate goals. Further investments in fossil fuels will make achieving these goals impossible and put all of our futures at risk!"
And further: "Everyone must finally become aware that burning more dirty oil that destroys the climate is no reason to be happy. As soon as Lindner stands in the smelly puddle of oil that he was just longing for, his smile disappears."
Sonja Manderbach (44) "If Lindner really wants more oil instead of finally taking the simplest cost-cutting measures, such as a speed limit, he will get his first delivery from us. He and the rest of the government must finally understand what a catastrophe they are dragging us and future generations into!"
It was only in July of this year that the federal government announced that it was neither preparing new oil drilling nor was it examining the extent to which these would be possible.
[2] A U-turn would be a fatal step in the wrong direction.
[1] www.tagesschau.de/lindner-inflation-101.html
[2] daserste.ndr.de/panorama/archiv/2022/Radikale-Klimaproteste-Stoppen-sie-die-Katastrophe,klimaproteste102.html
Road blockade remains unpunished – Munich court shares last generation's concerns
Munich, September 16.09.2022, 9, 00:XNUMX a.m – There was only one warning in the proceedings against three Last Generation supporters at the district court in Munich. In February, the three teenagers blocked a main traffic artery in Munich to resist the federal government's catastrophic course in the climate crisis. In the trial under juvenile criminal law, they were therefore accused of coercion. However, the court made it clear today that it shared the defendants' concerns and resorted to the mildest means available.
Today's trial took place against the backdrop of a soon-to-be unstoppable climate catastrophe. According to UN reports, humanity is heading towards a world that is around 3 degrees hotter. [1] Billions of people will then experience water shortages, hunger, flight and war. That's why there are now warnings about complete social collapse.
Although the consequences have been completely clear for decades, the federal government continues to adhere to a course that is driving society ever deeper into catastrophe. Therefore, the three defendants saw it as their moral duty to resist this deadly crime.
"We all come across words like forest fires, war, droughts, heat deaths, and the end of human civilization almost every day in connection with global warming. Instead of turning a blind eye to it, I want to acknowledge the fact that we are in a climate emergency and are not acting appropriately. I believe it is my duty to fight against it.Annina Oberrenner (20) tells the court at the beginning of the hearing. (You can find Annina Oberrenner's very opening statement in the appendix)
During the trial, the defendants also repeatedly made it clear that they would respect the court's decision, but that they still intended to engage in civil resistance, regardless of the verdict. Even if that means they have to block roads again.
In its verdict, the court made it clear that it shared the defendants' concerns. It also expressly recognizes that the measures taken to combat global warming are far too small at the core. The judge issued a warning against the three Last Generation supporters. This is the least possible remedy in the Youth Criminal Justice Act if the court cannot come to the clear position of an acquittal. Such a warning does not entail any further legal consequences.
"I see this as a certain success. With its ruling, the court made it clear that resisting the government's destruction of our livelihoods does not constitute criminal behavior.” Luca Thomas (20) classifies the court verdict.
"Even though I would have liked the court to find the courage to acquit us and thus stand with us against the government's deadly course.” continues Thomas.
[1] www.tagesschau.de/abroad/america/un-climate-targets-vermiss-erderwaermung-101.html
Bundesliga disrupted for the third time – so that the ball will continue to roll in the future
Frankfurt am Main, September 10.09.2022, 15, 40:XNUMX p.m – Four Last Generation supporters just interrupted the Bundesliga game Eintracht Frankfurt against VfL Wolfsburg in the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt am Main to draw attention to the existential threat to our society posed by the climate catastrophe. Shortly after the start of the first half, they ran onto the field. Their T-shirts read “Stop fossil fuel madness!”
Jacob Beyer (28) on why he disrupts the game: “Exactly five months ago today we interrupted the Eintracht game here in the Commerzbank Arena. Just like five months ago, today we are again calling on the population to resist our government, which is steering us into the abyss. This is the only way our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be able to experience football games like this one.”
Leah Bonasera (24), co-initiator of the Last Generation: “We cannot continue to stand idly by and see how normality and everyday life are lived even though we are hurtling toward catastrophe. While we are looking at lush green lawns here, people all over the world are already faced with dried-up rivers, burnt forests and destroyed cities and villages.”
In its warning, the Last Generation refers to institutions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UN. These warn regularly and unambiguously about the consequences that await us due to political failure in the face of climate collapse. UN Secretary General Guterres said: “This renunciation of leadership is criminal. Under current commitments, global emissions will rise by almost 14 percent in the current decade. This spells disaster.” [1]
The last generation receives the majority of its financial resources for mobilization, public relations, training and further education Climate Emergency Fund.
[1] UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres: Remarks at the press conference - Presentation of the IPCC report, Geneva, February 28, 2022 - United Nations - Regional Information Center for Western Europe (unric.org)
4 months probation – Berliner sentenced after road blockade in Sweden
September 07.09.2022, XNUMX, Stockholm | Berliner Kevin Hecht (30) was sentenced to a suspended sentence and released from custody yesterday for his work against the climate catastrophe in Stockholm. The computer scientist spent over two weeks there after he arrived on September 22.09nd. took part in a road blockade by the Swedish resistance project Återställ Våtmarker (“Restore Moors”).
Hecht was sentenced to four months probation in Sweden for “sabotage”. However, he believes his commitment to all of our lives is right. At the public hearing in the Tingsrätt (district court) he says: “Regardless of whether this court judges my actions today to be sabotage or not, I accept the consequences. Because the value of my personal freedom is disproportionate to the climate catastrophe."
Even spending over two weeks in prison does not change Hecht's belief that he did the right thing. If it is legal to destroy nature, cultural assets and people for profit, it feels right to go to prison for climate justice, he clarified in a letter from prison before his release (You can find the entire letter from Kevin Hecht from Stockholm prison as a transcript in the appendix and as Original at this link).
Dresden father Christian Bläul was also recently released. Like Hecht, he had spent 16 days in Swedish custody after a road blockade.
Återställ Våtmarker is one of eleven Last Generation sister campaigns. Each of these campaigns aims to achieve locally appropriate climate legislation in their country through actions of peaceful civil resistance. The association of these international resistance projects is called the A22 network. Its most important financial backer is Climate Emergency Fund.
Traffic blockades in several cities – against deadly fossil fuels
Berlin, September 06.09.2022th, 8, 40:XNUMX a.m – In Stuttgart, Kempten, Oldenburg, Heppenheim and Berlin, last generation citizens are blocking traffic today. In doing so, you are providing peaceful resistance to political failure in the climate crisis. The federal government must now implement the first steps such as a speed limit and free public transport.
Judith B. (42), mother of two children, explains why she is blocking traffic in Berlin today: “It has become clear to me: We must, I would even say, not sit idly by as our government formulates climate goals but does hardly anything to achieve them. Not even simple steps like a speed limit are being implemented to seriously reduce emissions. This inaction puts our children's future at risk!"
Eika (40), mother of 4 children is blocking traffic in Oldenburg today together with her eldest daughter (16): “The droughts, forest fires, falling water tables and floods are merely harbingers of the horrors of our future. We have to pull the emergency brake now! In two to three years we will no longer have a chance of preventing a deadly hot period that will bring hunger, war and flight on a scale previously unknown. Now is the time for civil, peaceful resistance.”
Henning Jeschke (22), co-founder of Last Generation emphasizes: “Our federal government is stumbling through this crisis without a concept. She has no plan on how to prevent the climate tipping points from being reached in the next 2-3 years. This fossil business as usual will lead our society to total collapse.”
The federal government declares that it wants to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. This point in time is well after the critical point calculated by the last IPCC report [1]. In doing so, it closes its eyes to reality and drives us and future generations over the cliff into the abyss of a hot period.
We are all the last generation that can avert this bleak future.
Blockade locations:
– Berlin 52,5179914, 13,4534106
– Heppenheim 49.643603, 8.624477
– Kempten 47.735863,10.328536, Stephanstraße towards the city
– Oldenburg exit Eversten, main street at the corner of Princessweg
– Stuttgart Bad Canstatt, B10 Rosenstein Bridge
[1] “The increase in global mean surface temperature (GST, 20-year running average) compared to pre-industrial levels is likely to reach 2030°C in the early 1,5s, in all emissions scenarios examined (SSP1-1.9 to SSP3-7.0), even earlier in the high-emission scenario SSP5-8.5.” www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/ipcc-bericht-klimawandel-verlaeuft-schneller
German released again – still determined after 16 days of solitary confinement in Sweden
Stockholm, August 03.09.2022, XNUMX – Great joy in front of the Stockholm district court: After 16 days in custody, Christian Bläul (40) is free again. The physicist and father of two was arrested on August 17th during a peaceful sit-in by our Swedish sister campaign “Återställ Våtmarker” (“Restore Wetlands”, [1]). Now he is looking forward to seeing his family again at home in Dresden. He doesn't know his verdict yet; it will be announced on September 16th.
"I am particularly pleased to be able to attend my daughter's 16th birthday on SundayBläul said with relief after his dismissal. It was not clear to him how long he would be locked up while he was in prison. Now he knows it was 16 days. No one has been detained longer than him for climate protest in Sweden.
Bläul was alone in his cell for 23 hours a day while in custody. According to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, prisoners in solitary confinement can suffer great psychological and physical harm [2]. Bläul says he could have tolerated the loneliness well. The solidarity from outside, which also reached him in his cell, would have helped him. In a statement after his dismissal he expressed his gratitude: “I received letters from 64 people.“[3] He will answer all of them.
Bläul remains determined to carry out civil resistance: “No government is doing anywhere near enough to prevent a deadly climate catastrophe. Not the Swedish one, and not the German one either. That's why I will continue to take part in roadblocks."
Bläul will find out his verdict in about two weeks. He expects a fine or probation. Berliner Kevin Hecht (30) is still in custody in Stockholm. On August 22nd, he took part in a blockade campaign in Sweden in solidarity with Bläul's imprisonment. His court hearing will take place on September 6th.
[1] återställvåtmarker.se/
[2] rm.coe.int/16806fa178
[3] twitter.com/Gogowitsch/status/1565731673509093376
“Free rides” – citizens travel nationwide without a ticket on public transport
Berlin, October 01.09.2022, 12, 30:XNUMX a.m – Today, the first day after the 9-euro ticket expires, last-generation citizens are traveling without a ticket on public transport in Berlin, Nuremberg and on several railway routes between Frankfurt and Freiburg.
The peaceful resistance of citizens is directed at the federal government. It should fulfill its moral obligation to protect the population and protect people from impending starvation catastrophes and wars over the last resources.
Mario Burkhardt (34) is taking the train in Berlin today without a ticket and says: “Why are we talking about shorter showers and fuel discounts instead of savings through permanent free public transport? Why should ordinary people freeze this winter, but the super-rich shouldn't pay for their warmongering oil profits? We are traveling here and now without a ticket to show with one of many examples: All of this can change!”
Aimee von Baalen (23) from Dresden, one of the speakers of the Last Generation, emphasizes: “The vital resources are being squandered with impunity by those who fly over our heads in private jets. But not being able to afford your train ticket means jail in Germany. We cannot tolerate this injustice.”
Co-founder of the Last Generation Leah Bonasera (24): “In the summer of 2022, as Europe dries and burns and we head towards global climate collapse, there is no longer any neutrality. Not resisting now means supporting the destructive course of our government.”
She calls on the population: “Join our peaceful resistance against the destruction of our society!”
Citizens of the last generation now travel together in groups on buses and trains without tickets. They wear high-visibility vests and invite people with flyers to lectures by the last generation in order to get more people involved in peaceful resistance against climate collapse.
Announcement: Nationwide free travel
31.08.2022, 10: 00 clock – After the 9 euro ticket expires, citizens of the last generation are peacefully resisting the unaffordability of public transport. From September 01st, you will be able to use public transport nationwide without valid tickets. Lectures, signs and advertising material will be used to draw attention to the climate catastrophe and the madness of high prices in local and long-distance transport.
Despite everything, those who are committed to social and climate policy travel by train for a fee: before they start the journey, the price of a nationwide valid ticket is donated to a climate fund [1].
One of the committed ones is Maya Winkelmann (24). She explains: “I am angry that people’s suffering is being ignored. The government is not taking the simplest immediate measures! In the middle of a climate emergency, why are you talking about shorter showers and gas discounts instead of savings through permanent free public transport?”
She continues: “While people go to prison every year because they can't afford to visit their grandchildren, others speed down the highway at 200 km/h and thus destroy our livelihood. The government must now tackle this injustice!”
Leah Bonasera (24), co-initiator of the Last Generation adds: “In 2022, after a scorching summer, it is time to enable financially disadvantaged people to participate in mobility and at the same time ensure that mobility is sustainable. Today I symbolically take the train without a ticket. In doing so, I am independently starting the quick, fair change that is needed now!”
With its campaign, the Last Generation invites everyone interested to take part in the free rides. The movement also offers more information in its lectures: Lectures – Last Generation 🔥.
[1] 9 Euro Fund – The 9 Euro ticket from the solidarity community
Court case: Court turns a blind eye to climate catastrophe
We are looking at the climate catastrophe directly in the eyes: After forests burned around the world this summer and our fields dried up, the court in the first trial against the Last Generation is fleeing from its responsibility in the crisis.
A young person was charged who courageously and peacefully resisted the destructive course of the federal government. The court decided to condemn his cry for help.
Although it recognized the climate crisis as a problem, the court expressly excluded it from its decision. It is not the court's job to deal with the matter. We can only describe this as a fatal mistake, because closing our eyes to reality will lead our children to death.
Hundreds of people will move into these courtrooms in the next few months and make it clear there, as well as on the streets: what we all do in the next 2-3 years is everything.
We are prepared to accept the legal consequences for our actions, but we cannot accept that the court today has shirked its responsibility and thereby condoned the murder of the poor and the young generation.
Regardless of what is decided in the courtrooms, the peaceful resistance continues with the same determination.
The verdict in a crisis is between life and death.
Disruption of oil festival ONS 2022
ONS 2022 will be disrupted on August 29.08.2022, XNUMX by supporters of the Stop Oljeletinga campaign. This action is taken to express opposition to and as a use of freedom of speech against the continued exploration for more oil and gas and the devastating economic and security threat posed by the fossil fuel industry. The goal is to make the public aware and to put pressure on politicians who are massively failing their responsibilities to act in favor of the public wellness and prosperity.
UN General Secretary's words on the acute need for transformation of our energy systems: “We have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands“, (18.07.22/XNUMX/XNUMX), should have been more than enough to shock us all into action. And to treat this urgent threat to humanity with the emergency response required. At the very least it should have been enough to make leaders understand that still looking for more oil is immensely immoral.
Fossil fuels account for 89% of the world's CO2 emissions. It is awkwardly obvious where to make cuts to avoid complete economic and societal collapse within 50 years should the world exceed 1.5 degrees.
Out of fear of the 3 degrees current policies are headed towards today's participants in the civil disobedience action are resisting as loud as they can non-violently. They are aware of the consequences of the action in regards to whom it inconveniences and themselves. They are acting on their own convictions and they see this as necessary as everything else has been tried.
The Stop oljeletinga campaign will continue and increase the use of civil disobedience actions until the demands of the campaign has been met:
1. We demand that the Norwegian government announce a full stop to all further oil and gas exploration on Norwegian territories.
2. We demand that the Norwegian government make a detailed plan for a just transition and new jobs for current oil workers.
What will happen?
It's time to sound the alarm about what we are getting into. The oil industry is pushing us towards a crisis, a crisis we must sound the alarm about. Therefore, a supporter of Stopp Oljeletinga will pull the fire alarm during the opening of the oil festival ONS 2022. This is not the time to celebrate the oil industry, it is the time for the closing party. When the alarm is sounded, other participants will tag Stop Oljeletinga on the entrance, before carrying out their civil resistance with glue and arrest. The escalation in the form of resistance occurs as a response to how extreme a celebration of this industry is. The oil industry pours fuel on the fire which will eventually devour today's children and young people
When and where?
Starting time: 11:58
Location: Clarion hotel Energy
goo.gl/maps/yxrnB5KcNTXZTdyD6
Up to 4 years in prison – Sweden charges German father
Stockholm/Berlin, August 29, 2022 – Christian Bläul (40) and Kevin Hecht (30), supporters of the Last Generation, are currently still in Swedish custody. They had taken part in peaceful sit-ins by “Återställ Våtmarker” (“Restore Wetlands”). The group is calling on the Swedish government to ban peat mining and restore wetlands that are so important for the climate.
Last Friday, the Swedish authorities decided that charges would be brought against Christian. The father of two children is threatened with up to 4 years in prison because he is not prepared to simply accept the destruction of our livelihoods. Bläul should remain in custody at least until the court date on September 2nd. He was denied temporary bail despite his assurances that he would attend all court proceedings.
For the father of the Bläul family, today is the 12th day in solitary confinement - longer than any person from the last generation has ever had to spend in captivity. The physicist often thinks of his daughter. He writes about his motivation: “How should I live knowing that we are sending our children to die? If I don't stand in the way of fossil fuel madness now, I won't be able to look a child in the eye again in my life."
He doesn’t complain about the prison conditions: “Given the circumstances, I'm doing well in prison. I will see this through to the end because I follow my moral compass. I am here in the right place, full of strength and full of love for life."
The Berlin computer scientist Kevin Hecht has also been behind bars in Stockholm for 7 days. It will be decided in the next few days whether charges will also be brought against him. In solidarity with Bläul, he joined another road blockade of Återställ Våtmarker - in the full knowledge that he too would face imprisonment and prosecution. He didn’t let that deter him: “I'm afraid of the climate catastrophe, not of prison“, he writes in a letter from his cell.
And further: "Greenhouse gases know no borders. We are facing the worst crisis humanity has ever seen - and we may still have 2-3 years left to stop a deadly climate collapse. That's why we must now unite across all borders and put an end to the fossil fuel madness together."
Carla Hinrichs, a spokesperson for Last Generation, adds: “With their courage and determination, Christian Bläul and Kevin Hecht are role models for us all. We are doing what is necessary to prevent climate hell and thus the destruction of our civilization - and we will not allow ourselves to be immobilized by prison sentences."
The way the Swedish authorities dealt with the two German citizens is striking. Several dozen participants, including people from Finland and Norway, were released shortly after the sit-in. Only Bläul and Hecht have been in custody for over a week now. Sweden is breaking new ground - it is the first time that climate activists have been put in prison in the Scandinavian country.
Contact in Sweden: Spokesperson Josefin +46703892510; återställvåtmarker.se
Trial for food rescuers – court instead of justice
On Thursday, September 1st, Michael Winter (59), supporter of the Last Generation, will stand in front of the Berlin district court at 10 a.m. At the beginning of January he stood in the way of fossil fuel madness for a food-saving law. Now he should be put on trial for this - while the destruction of our livelihoods continues unabated.
We invite representatives of the media to attend the hearing. People of the last generation have already announced that they want to take further actions around the process.
Exact location:
Tiergarten District Court
Turmstrasse 91, 10559 Berlin
Room 456 (larger room requested - you can request this from the court or from our press contact if necessary)
Start of negotiations:
01.09.2022 am - 10 pm
Bundesliga top game interrupted
Munich, September 27.08.2022, 18, 45:XNUMX a.m – The Bundesliga top game between Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach was just interrupted by five supporters from the last generation. In front of 75.000 spectators in the Allianz Arena, they ran onto the field and chained themselves to the goal posts to make it clear that the impending climate collapse will not stop at the Germans' favorite sport.
The game between the two first division teams is described as a traditional game. They have been dueling for first place for decades. “The climate crisis is also a traditional game. Governments and empires are driving us ever further towards destruction with their deadly fossil fuel policy. If we want to see football rolling with our children in the future, we must not close our eyes to the climate crisis now.”says Lina Schinköthe (20) before she enters the field.
What else can we do to save football? “We have to be brutally honest with each other!”said Gladbach coach Daniel Farke before the game [1]. Lisa Winkelmann (20), who interrupts today's game, also demands brutal honesty:
“We are on the verge of losing all of our livelihoods. There will be extreme droughts, floods, crop failures, famines and water shortages. I'm afraid of losing my family, my friends, people I love. I can’t just watch our livelihoods being ripped away from us!”
“And while our world is already burning, drying up and flooding, and hundreds of thousands are already starving and fleeing, our government is failing completely. Instead of slamming on the brakes, we look away, trivialize it and continue to accelerate. Even though we know that this is exactly what ends fatally”, Moritz Sieghart (20) explains his current civil resistance against the federal government's deadly fossil fuel business.
Citizens have already interrupted sporting events in other countries, most recently in England and France.
The Last Generation is part of the international A22 Network, which carries out peaceful actions of civil resistance in 10 countries worldwide against the lack of action against the impending climate collapse.
Mathematics student Leonardo Elgas (23), who also ran onto the field today, appeals to those around him: “The more people we have on the football fields and especially on the streets, the greater the political pressure to act. The next few years will decide the future of everything we hold dear. What will you do during this time?”
[1] htps://www.zeit.de/news/2022-08/27/gladbach-coach-farke-moechte-dass-wir-brutal-ehrlich-sind
Adhered to “The Bethlehemite Child Murder” – resistance to the government’s deadly course
Munich, September 26.08.2022, 15, 15:XNUMX a.m – For the fourth time this week, two Last Generation supporters are sticking to a world-famous painting to offer peaceful resistance to the government's destructive course. This time on “The Bethlehemite Infanticide” by the Flemish artist Paul Peter Rubens.
The 400-year-old painting probably depicts one of the cruelest scenes imaginable at the time: small children are torn from their mothers and bloodily murdered by King Herod's merciless henchmen.
The looming climate catastrophe affects people fundamentally - whether floods of mud quickly suffocate them or crop failures cause them to slowly and quietly starve. Civilization tipping points can lead to war and chaos, from which nothing is safe, not even this painting.
“I'm glued to this painting today because I'm desperate. The climate catastrophe is already here, we are already seeing people losing their livelihoods in flood disasters like in the Ahr Valley. Our children will die too if our government does not act now to respond to the climate emergency.”, Michael Winter (59) explains his motivation for being part of the campaign today.
Simon Lachner (24, electrical engineer for renewable energy systems), who is involved in civil resistance with the Last Generation, says:
“People are already dying from heat, floods, droughts and crop failures. The climate catastrophe is as visible as the knives of King Herod's child-murdering soldiers.
I have a nephew who is 1 1/2 years old, he is not to blame for the destruction of our ecosystems, but he will have to bear all the consequences. Let us all now work together to prevent the worst effects by finally demanding responsibility from our politicians.”
The Last Generation is part of the international A22 Network, which carries out peaceful actions of civil resistance in 10 countries worldwide against the lack of action against the impending climate catastrophe.
The A22 Network emphasizes in its statement on the crisis: “We are not here to make a statement, to make a request or to entertain. We are here to bring about the change that is necessary. We are here to force governments to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nothing less.”
The Last Generation receives financial support from the Climate Emergency Fund (www.climateemergencyfund.org/).
Imprisonment threatened after painting protest – Senator for the Interior condemned in the strongest possible terms
Berlin, 8:50 a.m: After yesterday's protest in the Gemäldegalerie, one of the two Last Generation supporters, Maja Winkelmann (24), will be brought before the LKA for a hearing at 9 a.m. According to her lawyer, remand has been under review since yesterday. The public prosecutor's office announced that it would present its application for pre-trial detention to the court for a decision at 12 p.m. A decision is expected later today.
Since the last generation of painting protests began this Tuesday, the public has been arguing. While the director of the Hamburger Kunsthalle expressed his sympathy, Iris Spranger, Senator for the Interior of Berlin, condemned the actions of the citizens [1].
Maja Winkelmann before her hearing: “Our survival depends on what we do in the next few years. My fear that the government will continue its murderous course and destroy all of our lives is greater than that of sitting in a cell. We are the alarm that is absolutely necessary so that everyone understands: We are in an emergency situation".
[1] twitter.com/innensenatorin/status/1562849388128780288?s=20&t=bvFqi-RYqLQyayopfGoX2w
Glued to painting again – Catastrophe takes away hope for a secure future
Berlin August 25.08.2022, 15, 00:XNUMX p.m Uhr – Two supporters of the last generation worked on the painting “Rest on the Flight to Egypt” this afternoon. by Lucas Cranach glued in the Berlin Picture Gallery. Because there will no longer be a safe refuge on a world that is 2 or 4 degrees hotter.
The artwork shows Mary with little Jesus, gaining strength on their flight to Egypt. They flee from Herod, who is after the life of Jesus. Maria longs for a future in which her child can live in safety and does not have to fear for his existence.
Mary and Jesus were on their way to a safe refuge. However, humanity is currently on the fast track to a deadly climate catastrophe.
Lina Eichler (19), who dropped out of high school to join the Last Generation civil resistance, explains:
“I stuck to this painting today to fight for a safe future for us and all children. We must now gather our strength, like Mary in the touching painting, and work to ensure that we and the children of this world can look to the future with hope again. A future in which they are not threatened by droughts and floods and do not have to fear wars.”
Maya Winkelmann (24) explains her motivation for sticking to the painting:
“Maria represents all of us here in the painting, because we all long for a secure future for our families and friends. We must now offer peaceful resistance to save them. We have no more time to lose because the climate catastrophe has already begun.”
The Last Generation is part of the international A22 Network, which carries out peaceful actions of civil resistance in 10 countries around the world against the lack of action on the impending climate catastrophe.
The A22 Network emphasizes in its statement on the crisis: “We are not here to make a statement, to make a request or to entertain. We are here to bring about the change that is necessary. We are here to force governments to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nothing less.”
The Last Generation receives financial support for action training to prepare for peaceful disruptive actions as well as its public relations work Climate Emergency Fund (www.climateemergencyfund.org/ ).
Pretrial detention in Sweden – another Last Generation supporter in Swedish prison
Stockholm/Berlin, August 24.08.2022, 16, 00:XNUMX p.m - Kevin Hecht (30), a supporter of the Last Generation from Berlin, remains in custody after a court hearing today.
Hecht, who works as a computer scientist in Germany, peacefully blocked a highway with a sit-in in Stockholm on Monday, August 22.08.2022nd, 19, together with XNUMX other people.
The action of the Swedish sister organization of the Last Generation 'Aterstall Vatmaker' (Restore Wetlands) was directed against further peat mining in Sweden and was in solidarity with the German father of the family Christian Bläul (40) instead.
Bläul has been in Swedish custody since August 17.08.2022, 26.08 following a peaceful motorway blockade until at least August XNUMX.
In both proceedings, the Swedish public prosecutor's office is examining whether fast-track charges will be brought. In this case, the detentions of both may last even longer.
Before his arrest, Kevin Hecht said: “The drama and speed with which the effects of the climate catastrophe are already evident today do not stop at national borders. That's why I support the protest by 'Aterstall Vatmaker' and show that we won't be deterred by the threat of imprisonment! Because we only have 2-3 years left to stop the deadly climate collapse.”
Carla Hinrichs, one of the Last Generation speakers, explains: “Christian Bläul and Kevin Hecht are the first citizens ever to be imprisoned in Sweden for their climate work. We will not let the threat of prison stop us from doing everything necessary to stop climate tipping points and the destruction of our civilizations.”
Glued to Poussind's painting “Storm Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe” – peaceful resistance to the government's course of destruction
August 24.08.2022th, 13 Frankfurt (Main), 30:XNUMX p.m - In protest against the federal government's deadly fossil fuel policy, two members of the Last Generation glued themselves to the painting "Thunderstorm Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe" by Nicolas Poussin in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (Main) this afternoon.
Today the picture symbolizes the destructive course of current politics: It shows Pyramus lying on the ground, with a sword next to him with which he plunged to his death based on erroneous assumptions. Just as Pyramus made false assumptions, our government is also making false assumptions that will lead our societies to collapse: LNG terminals, the continued operation of coal-fired power plants and a lack of sensible measures such as a speed limit or free public transport will lead us further into the deadly lead to climate catastrophe.
Penelope Frank (31) explains why she is sticking to the picture today:
“I am incomprehensible and angry that the government is putting our future, all of our lives, at risk. We are already looking at areas devastated by drought and fire and towns torn away by floods, here in Germany, in Europe and especially among the poorest people in the world. I have glued myself to this depressing painting today because protest and resistance against the course of destruction of our government cannot continue to be ignored.”
Raul Semmler (38), actor and screenwriter, adds:
“Do we want to be standing in the rubble in a few decades and wondering why we didn’t do enough? Why have we not prevented the wars over food and water, the destruction caused by extreme weather events, fires, storms, floods? We still have 2 to 3 years to avert the worst climate catastrophe scenarios. That’s why we have to resist now, everywhere.”
“With actions like today’s, resistance to the federal government’s course is unignorably brought to places of art and culture. Places that will fall victim to an absolute collapse of the global climate and a subsequent collapse of social systems, as well as countless lives, if the emergency brake is not finally pulled,” explained Leah Bonasera, co-founder of Last Generation.
Just yesterday, two supporters of the Last Generation glued themselves to Raphael's “Sistine Madonna” in Dresden.
Glued to a painting – resistance to the Sistine Madonna
Dresden, August 22.08.2022, 12, 10:XNUMX p.m. - Two people from the last generation stuck to Raphael's “Sistine Madonna” this morning. With their action in the Dresden Picture Gallery, the determined citizens are making it clear that the climate catastrophe that is advancing worldwide cannot be ignored.
Jakob Beyer (28), who broke off his carpentry apprenticeship to join the civil resistance while clinging to the 'Sistine Madonna': “The climate catastrophe is an unprecedented threat of incredible proportions. Murderous droughts, devastating heat, all-consuming forest fires: this will increase dramatically in the next few years. Not just here in Germany. Not just in Saxon Switzerland, the most important local recreation area in Dresden. But worldwide!”
Maike Grunst (21) adds as she sticks to the world-famous painting: “The internationally famous Sistine Madonna is a strong symbol: Mary and Jesus look into the future with fear. They look forward to Christ's death on the cross with horror. An equally predictable death will also be the result of climate collapse. All over the world!”
With today's action, the last generation also shows solidarity with Christian Bläul (40). The German software developer and father of two had a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 17.08th. together with “Återställ Våtmarker” (Restore Wetlands) raised awareness of climate collapse with a peaceful sit-in. In an urgent trial he was subsequently sentenced to at least 9 days in prison. During yesterday's action by the Swedish sister organization “Återställ Våtmarker”, another German citizen, Kevin Hecht (30), was arrested and is being held in custody for an indefinite period of time.
“Everything we hold dear will be destroyed by the climate catastrophe. Global warming affects us all: in every country, every industry and every sector of society. In order to survive, we have to act immediately!” says Carla Hinrichs (25), one of the speakers of the Last Generation.
Stockholm, August 22.08.2022, XNUMX - Christian Bläul was arrested on Wednesday, August 17.08.2022, 9 in Stockholm after he campaigned for more climate protection during a peaceful sit-in there. The German family man and supporter of the Last Generation was detained by a court in summary proceedings for at least 26.08 days. Bläul will therefore be available until at least Friday, August XNUMXth. remain in a Swedish prison while a decision is now made about further prosecution.
The Swedish authorities are taking particularly tough action in this case. Never before has a supporter of the Last Generation or its Swedish sister organization “Återställ Våtmarker” (Restoring Wetlands) [1] been in captivity for so long.
“I stand by what I do and will appear at all court hearings. It is important to act now, also internationally, because the climate catastrophe does not stop at the borders.", shared Christian Bläul to the court before his sentencing.
The sit-in in which Bläul took part took place together with “Återställ Våtmarker” (Restore Wetlands). This Swedish sister organization of the Last Generation is calling on the Swedish government to ban peat mining and restore wetlands. Both are part of the A22 network, under which campaigns of peaceful civil resistance have now come together in 9 countries. The impending climate collapse does not stop at national borders, just as the urgent countermeasures do not, which is why civil resistance does not either.
This morning, citizens of “Återställ Våtmarker” together with other organizations peacefully blocked a highway near Stockholm. Also a supporter of the last generation [2].
Carla Hinrichs (Press spokeswoman for the Last Generation) states: “We are in a global crisis, the earth is burning. That's why it's important that we also demand more action against the climate catastrophe at the international level. We will not allow ourselves to be deterred from our commitment to the future of our children and all people. Not even about prison sentences!”
[1] Contact in Sweden: Spokesperson Josefin +46703892510; återställvåtmarker.se
[2] www.facebook.com/aterstallvatmarker/videos/584874889770006/
Nuremberg Father Dr. Jörg Alt blocks main road in Nuremberg
More and more people are joining the resistance - a foretaste of a turbulent autumn
Nuremberg, August 16.8th – This Tuesday afternoon at 100 seconds before 12, the Jesuit Father Dr. Jörg Alt walked the Altstadtring together with the hunger striker Henning Jeschke, other Nuremberg residents of the last generation and Extinction Rebellion.
Jörg Alt SJ: “In the climate emergency, the church has a duty to remind the government of its moral responsibility to the people.”
Most recently, his public rescue of discarded food from supermarket bins led to discussions about civil disobedience - while climate-related famines continue to spread and our food prices rise.
The doomsday clock from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists shows: For us humans it is currently 100 seconds to twelve [1]. Shortly before twelve local time, the citizens, including the nationwide well-known Jesuit priest, brought the Altstadtring in front of Nuremberg Central Station to a standstill in both directions. The prominent local support includes, among others, Father Klaus Väthröder, retired MP Hermann Imhof (CSU) and retired MP Uwe Kekeritz (Greens). The broad alliance shows that more and more parts of society are joining the determined resistance on the streets and trying to stop the government's deadly course. They are giving up their obedience to the fossil fuel elite - with the vision of a better world in their pockets. People play live piano music on the street, a sofa and potted plants invite you to linger.
Henning Jeschke, 22 (Co-founder Last Generation): “I was on hunger strike for 27 days until I was in the intensive care unit. Then Chancellor Olaf Scholz was ready to talk to us about his responsibility in the climate catastrophe. A year later, Europe is engulfed in forest fires and the simplest steps to end global mass murder are still missing. Bavaria in particular is the national symbol of climate failure - nowhere is the political lack of planning more obvious than here [2]. So it is exactly the right place to, together with the church, remind the federal government of its responsibility in the face of the moral neglect of our society: How can it be that all federal and state governments use money for dirty oil to finance wars like the one in Ukraine , a few rich people and their oil companies grab the profits tax-free and the common population can't afford their food in the coming winter?"
Ernst Hörmann, 72 (Last generation): “We must act now because our lives depend on it; and that of our children. We know from history: If we peacefully and resolutely oppose the death march of our society, we can bring about rapid change. We now need more people in civil resistance who will take to the streets with us in the fall to turn things around and avert climate catastrophe. Because the collapse of our society is not an option for any of us.”
Sources
[1] Doomsday Clock: thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/
[2] See, for example, the study “Federal State Index Mobility & Environment” by the Pro-Rail Alliance: www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020_Bundeslaenderindex.pdf#page=5
Last generation collects 60 x €241 transfer fees in 48 hours
30.7.2022/14/00 XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. – Since the beginning of the year, citizens of the last generation have been campaigning for climate protection with their protest actions. For their road blockages with their hands glued on, they will now have to pay 60 times 241 euros in fees for removing them [1]. Less than 48 hours after the first social media call [2], there are already only a few euros missing from the total amount of 14.460 euros (currently: 13.935 euros) [3].
Photo: Screenshot of the fundraising campaign page: www.gofundme.com/f/60-x-241
Henning Jeschke (22), co-initiator of the Last Generation: “With our blockades we are fighting to survive! We want to persuade the federal government to protect the constitution and avert social collapse. We are prepared to pay high fines and even go to prison for this.”
Carla Hinrichs (25), press spokeswoman for Last Generation, adds: “We are incredibly grateful for the financial help. They show that the population supports our demands and the resistance, of which sticking is a necessary part in order to draw the greatest possible attention to the impending climate collapse by prolonging the disruption. It is clear to people: We have to act immediately on climate protection, otherwise it will be too late!
In addition to the costs of replacing them, the climate protectors have not yet had to pay any penalties or fines. No proceedings have yet been opened in court and the public prosecutor's office itself doubts whether the blockades are punishable [4].
The fact that help came so quickly from the population in the case of the transfer fees also raises further questions: How does the state deal with the fact that desperate citizens disrupt everyday life? Are his actions acting on behalf of the people?
In any case, the citizens of the last generation will continue their resistance. Because time is running out in the fight against climate collapse. The climate activists collect further donations via their website: allesgeneration.de
[1] RBB v. July 19.7.2022, XNUMX: www.rbb24.de/politik/teil/2022/07/strassenblockaden-last-generation-strafverfahren-berlin.html
[2] Call on Twitter: twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1552695507172081664; Instagram: www.instagram.com/p/CgjfitWMSfW/
[3] Link to completed campaign on gofundme: www.gofundme.com/f/60-x-241
[4] Report from the Berliner Zeitung: www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/autobahn-blockaden-last-generation-73-verfahren-gegen-klima-aktivisten-in-berlin-li.244098
Federal government comments on North Sea oil
On the way to absolute climate collapse, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) spoke publicly in March about wanting to examine new North Sea oil drilling. [1]
Looking at the scientific facts about the impending climate catastrophe, it should be clear to every child that such drilling is absolute fossil madness. New oil drilling would massively fuel the fire that urgently needs to be put out.
Now, in mid-July 2022, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate finally explains publicly to NDR when asked: “The federal government is neither preparing new oil drilling nor is it examining the extent to which these would be possible. […]” [2]
We are very much in favor of the federal government moving away from this fatal step and not wanting to push ahead with new oil drilling in the short term. This is a small step in recognizing the climate emergency. It shows us clearly that our resistance on the streets is effective and has an impact.
But the federal government further explains: “Permits […] are the responsibility of the states. The state mining authorities must then […] decide on such applications.” [2] and thereby shifts some of their responsibility to reject the destruction of our livelihoods onto the states. In future projects that deviate from the federal government's course and the coalition agreement, they may allow oil drilling through the back door.
A federal government that realizes that this legislative period will decide the fate of humanity would change the political course towards survival. Recognize the emergency for what it is and massively redirect it. The motto must be not just to save money instead of drilling, but to introduce a speed limit now and build mobility for citizens with free public transport.
The situation in the climate emergency is already getting further and further out of control: the atmosphere's self-cleaning of the highly climate-warming methane is failing [3]; last week over 1000 people died from heat in Europe [4], Italy, France, Greece and Croatia was burning, research was published according to which asylum seekers at Europe's border were thrown into the sea in handcuffs [5], the Office for Civil Protection warned of uninhabitable areas in Germany [6].
Sources:
[1] Tagesspiegel:
www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/lindner-will-mehr-nordsee-statt-putin-oel-why-neue-oelbohrungen-in-deutschland-zur-option- Werden/28159470.html
FAZ:
www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/energiebedarf-bundesregierung-ringt-um-nordsee-oel-bohrung-17875320.html
WZ: www.wz.de/nrw/nrw-landtagswahl-stoerer-klept-sich-bei-habeck-rede-in-duesseldorf-an-buehne_aid-69609745
[2] The first:
daserste.ndr.de/panorama/archiv/2022/Radikale-Klimaproteste-Stoppen-sie-die-Katastrophe,klimaproteste102.html
[3] Der Spiegel:
www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/methan-konzentration-steigt-die-selbstreinigung-der-atmosphaere-macht-schlapp-a-623619c3-368f-46d7-bb62-f0a4866c6bcf
[4] Heise:
www.heise.de/tp/features/Ueber-1000-Hitzetote-Wann- Werden-Kohle-Gas-und-Oel-endlich-als-Krankmacher-einstierf-7182324.html
[5] aegean.forensic-architecture.org
[6] Tagesschau:
www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesellschaft/klimawandel-deutschland-unbewohnbar-101.html
July 15.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m. – While there is a water crisis in Europe, citizens of the last generation are currently once again peacefully resisting the fueling of climate catastrophe on the A103 in Berlin. They call on their fellow human beings to join their civil resistance against the destruction of our livelihoods. Despite dry rivers, global hunger catastrophes and deadly heat waves, the Scholz government is continuing to fuel the climate crisis.
Lea Bonasera (24), co-founder of Last Generation, while peacefully blocking the A100 today:
“In times of famine, deadly heat and water shortages, we are forced to choose. Either we drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions immediately or this is our new everyday life. We can no longer stand by and watch our government continue to drill for oil! Resist!”"
“We don’t need any new oil from the North Sea or any new liquefied natural gas terminals on land. We can ensure our supply without this by finally introducing decisive austerity measures. Such as a speed limit and free public transport.”
After repeated blockades throughout the city over the past four weeks, citizens came together today to form a central blockade at the Schöneberg motorway junction between the A100 and A103. And thus once again made the highways the central place for peaceful civil resistance. Several people stuck themselves to the street again in order to create as much disruption as possible.
In addition, some citizens walked through the waiting rows of cars. They held up posters with personal messages that expressed their desperation and fear in the face of the impending climate collapse.
Cease and desist declaration after pipeline action – "I won't let myself be silenced"
14.7.2022 – Raúl Semmler objects to a cease-and-desist declaration from PCK Raffinerie GmbH, according to which he is not allowed to “distribute or have distributed” any photos or videos of his civil resistance at the PCK pipeline. Semmler, actor and screenwriter, filmed the PCK pipeline several times this year together with other people from the last generation. In doing so, they want to draw attention to the coming irreparable destruction of our livelihoods through fossil fuels.
RaĂşl Semmler on the cease and desist declaration that the PCK sent to him through a law firm:
“Our protest worked – the pipeline operator PCK says themselves that the entire system had to be shut down and that they were able to earn up to 99.999 euros less money by destroying our future. Now I should no longer enter their facilities, no longer turn off pipelines, and no longer distribute pictures and videos of my previous actions.”
And he turns to his fellow human beings:
“I am contesting this cease and desist declaration because I do not want to be silenced. Help us and spread the photos of the protests at the oil pipeline. The window of opportunity to avert a world hostile to life is closing and with it the window of opportunity to avert billions of suffering.”
If he does not comply with the cease and desist declaration, the company would threaten him with a fine of up to €250.000 or even up to 6 months in prison, Semmler continued.
When asked why he turned off the pipeline peacefully, he added:
“Here property must be weighed against the right to life. Our actions show that pipelines like PCK's continue to transport crude oil and further destroy our environment and livelihoods. And that they enrich themselves from it. I prevented that for a moment.”
Under this Link You can find the last generation Twitter post about it. Here RaĂşl Semmler's entire statement in the video.
17 people from the last generation had already peacefully turned off pipelines across Germany several times this year. They demanded that the federal government ensure that there would be no new fossil fuel infrastructure, especially no new oil drilling in the North Sea. Raul Semmler peacefully turned off the PCK pipeline three times: on April 27.4th. at the Druzhba Pipeline, on May 1.5st. in Liepe and on May 16.5th. in Borrentin.
Dernière Rénovation interrupts the Tour de France at the 10th stage: “We must stop the mad race towards our annihilation”
July 12, 2022 – 9 citizens supporting Dernière Rénovation interrupted the 10th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Megève at Magland, to stop the crazy race towards the destruction of our society.
We can no longer remain spectators of the ongoing climate disaster. We have 989 days left to save our future, our humanity.
The finish line is a ravine and we accuse our government and in particular the President of the Republic of condemning us to death. The effects of announcement, the pitiful effects of language on the alleged ecological “revolution” of the government are intolerable and criminal. It is necessary to change policy, and to start -immediately- with the global energy renovation of buildings.
The Tour de France was disrupted for 17 minutes and the race was stopped for more than 15 minutes.
Alice (32) and three other citizens had a “We have 989 days left” t-shirt and a link – dernierenrenovation.fr – echoing Alizée's action at Roland Garros on June 3rd. Dernière Rénovation's sports disruption actions are part of an international Civil Resistance movement, the A22 Network.
Alice: “I'd rather not get to that point. I'd rather be with my family, sitting on my couch watching the Tour de France, while the government does its job. But that’s not the reality.”
“The reality is that the world towards which politicians are sending us is a world in which the Tour de France will no longer exist. In this world, we will be busy fighting to feed ourselves and to save our families. Under these conditions we will face wars and mass famines. We must act and enter into civil resistance today to save what remains to be saved.”
“What do you expect me to do? Stand by the side of the road and watch my life go by as I watch the cyclists go by? No, I have decided to act and interfere to avoid the worst episode of suffering and create a new world. Because everything can still change.”
Judges do not recognize climate collapse - statement from the last generation
Our federal government is racing towards the collapse of our society. The peaceful citizens of the last generation are resolutely standing in the way of this and selflessly accepting imprisonment for it. In 2022, as Europe dries up, there is no neutrality. That's why the citizens asked the judges they were brought before yesterday afternoon to clearly position themselves:
“If you release me, I will stick myself directly on the nearest motorway exit and put myself in the way of the deadly system. The decision is yours: lock me up or release me so that I can continue to work to protect our constitution,” said Lars Werner, in a similar way to all other last generation citizens detained by the police yesterday Evening in front of the judge.
The judges sentenced 25 peaceful citizens to extended custody overnight.
“In an attempt to maintain the orderly flow of everyday fossil fuels without disruption, the judiciary does not recognize that the security and order of all of us is massively endangered by the government's criminal actions. In the summer of 2022, as weather services predict a massive heatwave [1], we must expect this country’s judges to take responsibility in the climate emergency.”
All citizens who had to be released that evening because the judges no longer had time to judge them blocked the highway again the next morning.[2]
[1] twitter.com/TerliWetter/status/1545821069654769664
[2] Shortly after 8 a.m. they blocked the A111 Heckerdamm motorway exit heading south (see Instagram story: www.instagram.com/lastgeneration/)
241 euros for gluing – How much is our future worth to us?
Berlin, October 12.07.2022th, 9, XNUMX:XNUMX a.m – The citizens of the last generation are blocking the Berlin A100 again today. Despite nights in individual cells, accusations of criminal offenses and 241 euros in costs just for solving the problem, people are determined. According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we only have 2-3 years to decide on the future of humanity. [1]
Since the number of people exceeded the judicial capacity, some citizens were released from custody yesterday evening, even though they had previously announced that they would immediately block again.
Psychologist Lars Werner (30), before he was taken into custody overnight yesterday:
“To everyone out there who understands that we have a climate catastrophe and that we are on the verge of the collapse of our livelihoods. There is no longer any neutrality in 2022, where Germany and Europe are burning and drying out, where billions of people are starving, where people are losing their homes due to floods. And it is unfortunately the case that no resistance now means supporting this system, which will inevitably destroy itself and thus cause untold suffering. So, join us! Resist!” [2]
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is still silent on the demand that no new oil drilling be carried out in the North Sea in the face of the climate catastrophe. For Henning Jeschke (22), Co-initiator of the Last Generation, this means a failure of the government in the greatest need:
“With his ignorance, Chancellor Scholz is fueling the greatest injustice and suffering in the history of humanity. The government is leaving the population alone to deal with the climate catastrophe. Worse still, it is breaking the Constitution! Because it is wantonly gambling away all of our lives and the lives of future generations.”
While Scholz would remain silent and citizens would fear for their future, we would race unchecked towards climate catastrophe. Droughts and extreme heat are raging in southern Europe, Italy is declaring a drought emergency. And a heat wave with up to 45 °C is also announced for Germany next week - as Renate Künast already noted when she defended the road blockades against criminalization. [3]
Sources:
[1] The latest IPCC report (WGIII, 2022) says that global emissions must fall by 2025 at the latest in order to maintain 67% of 2°C. (Summary for Policymakers, Chapter C, p. 21)
[2] www.instagram.com/p/Cf3cJd_DPOF/
[3] Renate Künast on Twitter: “typical distraction. That's how it started at @F4F, where there was a heated debate about the "monstrosity" of not going to school on Fridays. But the existential question is: how do we produce, transport, live and eat? Next #heatwave in 1 week.” / Twitter
Numerous arrests during road blockades – “Even individual cells can’t stop us”
July 11.07.2022, 18, 3 p.m. - Numerous citizens were taken into police custody during today's Last Generation road blockades. They had previously told the police that they would immediately return to the streets if they were released. Because “what we do in the next 4 to 1 years will decide the future of humanity.” [XNUMX]
Sonja Manderbach (45), church musician and mother, while being taken into custody by the police: “I am determined to continue to stand in the way of our government’s destructive course. Even if they threaten me with punishment or put me in a solitary cell, I will come back. As soon as they release us, we will be back on the streets with more people. “We all, including the police and the judiciary, now have a choice: do we choose the survival of humanity or do we prefer to imprison people for their peaceful resistance to annihilation?”
Ronja (16), who actually still goes to school, blocked a Berlin motorway for the second time today. She is afraid of the future because politics continues to fail to live up to its responsibility in the climate crisis.
Eike, Ronja's mother, as she sticks herself on the street next to her daughter: “We are here today because we are afraid of the climate crisis and the future associated with it. I'm afraid for my children's future! But also because we have the hope of being able to change something through civil resistance! Mr. Scholz, give up new North Sea oil for our children!”
A few days ago, former Federal Environment Minister JĂĽrgen Trittin spoke on television about the road blockades of the last generation. When asked whether this peaceful protest was an appropriate means, he replied:
“Civil disobedience is based on breaking the law. Even at the risk of being sanctioned yourself. I think it's important for people to get involved. […] the pressure that was made on the street has already found its echo.” [2]
Source:
[1] Climate Reality Check 2021 (p.3)
[2] youtu.be/bqzJGqWiolg
Fourth week of resistance – citizens remain determined
Berlin, October 11.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m – Citizens of the last generation are currently peacefully blocking Berlin highways for the fourth week in a row. In doing so, they denounce the 'criminal leadership failure' [1] of the Scholz government, which continues to plan new oil drilling in the North Sea. They remain determined and call on all fellow human beings to join their peaceful resistance for the survival of humanity.
Sonja Manderbach (45), church musician and mother, when asked why she was sitting on the street again today: “We are shocked that Olaf Scholz is not prepared to make a statement against new North Sea oil. This tells me that he and his government will not save the population. Scholz will push us over the cliff into climate catastrophe.”
And she is determined as she clings to the road: “New North Sea oil drilling means suffering for billions of people. Fossil oil is destroying our future and that of our children. Nights in solitary cells or accusations of criminal offenses will not deter us one inch from our resistance. The climate catastrophe is about nothing less than the survival of all humanity!”
Lea Bonasera (24), co-founder of the Last Generation, calls on her fellow human beings: “In the summer of 2022, while Europe is drying out and burning and we are heading towards a global climate collapse, there will be no more neutrality. Not resisting now means supporting our government's destructive fossil fuel policy. Join our peaceful resistance against the destruction of our society!”
So far, members of the Bundestag from the CDU [2] and the Left [3] would rather discuss the actions of the police on Twitter than about measures to contain the climate emergency. But a drought emergency is already being declared in northern Italy. Thousands and thousands of people in Australia would be standing in front of destroyed houses and we here in Germany would perhaps experience deadly heat of 45 degrees as early as next week.
For this reason, the citizens of the last generation would block the A100 again in several places today and would also occupy sign gantries again. They are firmly determined to continue to provide peaceful civil resistance for the future of all of us and for future generations.
Sources:
[1]unric.org/de/ipcc280202022/
[2]twitter.com/jm_luczak/status/1545685993621176321?s=21&t=o6damEcEmGdqoprCRHjtyw
[3]twitter.com/carenlay/status/1545762491229257735?s=21&t=5MZFY-t-WHD3QqiUVw3ltw
Scholz drills for oil in front of the Chancellery - Guterres: 'Criminal' Federal Government
Berlin, October 09.07.2022, 10, 30:XNUMX a.m – A large police force has just taken away citizens of the last generation in handcuffs who were dressed as the self-proclaimed 'climate chancellor' Olaf Scholz. Beforehand, armed with spades and shovels, they tore up the earth in front of the Chancellor's Office and immediately discovered large amounts of fossil oil. They also held posters with the words 'Climate Chancellor Wanted'. Citizens are demanding a statement from the Chancellor before the summer break in which he will reject new oil drilling in the North Sea.
Co-initiator Leah Bonasera (24) about the symbolic action: “We have been contacting Olaf Scholz every day for weeks and appealing to his responsibility towards citizens and all future generations. We ask him to finally take the climate crisis seriously and clearly reject new oil drilling. Every new liter of fossil oil fuels the collapse of our climate and our society.”
Bonasera is referring to Article 20a of the Basic Law, which states: “The state, also responsible for future generations, protects the natural foundations of life (…) through executive power and jurisprudence.” [1]
She goes on to say: “Billions are already affected by the climate catastrophe and people are dying as a result. UN Secretary-General António Guterres describes our government's 'renunciation of leadership' as 'criminal'. [2] We demand that it live up to its responsibility again and save oil, for example through a speed limit and free public transport.”
Since mid-June, the group Last Generation has been drawing attention to the escalating climate catastrophe with daily blockades in Berlin and nationwide. With the statement 'We still have 2-3 years left!' she cites the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Sir David King, the British government's former chief climate adviser.
[1] dejure.org/gesetze/GG/20a.html
[2] www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/ipcc-report-2022-zur-climate-crisis-3-6-billion-people-already-highly-gefaehrdet/28113098.html
Summer break in the middle of the climate emergency – not a day without resistance against a criminal government
You can find the cover photo of this announcement here.
Berlin, October 08.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m - “The climate catastrophe doesn’t take a summer break!” The Last Generation is calling on the self-proclaimed 'climate chancellor' Olaf Scholz to speak out against newly planned oil drilling in the North Sea. For the fifth day in a row, the resistance of climate activists against the government's crimes continues. A simple declaration that acknowledges the right to life of the young and poor would put an end to it all for the time being. But Olaf Scholz can't bring himself to do that. The Climate Chancellor is still missing.
Today, three supporters of the initiative are even walking through the rows of cars on the highway looking for him. In their hands they hold posters on which it is written: “Climate Chancellor missing!”.
Although violence against citizens through punches and kicks is increasing, they are determined to continue to work for a future worth living. Carla Hinrichs (25), press spokeswoman for the Last Generation:
“New oil drilling in the North Sea will bring the climate catastrophe to the extreme! We demand that the government protects our natural basis of life instead of disappearing into the summer break! Time is short. That's why Mr. Scholz must act immediately. Taking a vacation now is irresponsible! The climate catastrophe is not taking a break either!”.
Ernst Hörmann (72), retired mechanical engineer and grandfather of 8 grandchildren, has been blocking Berlin's streets almost every day with the Last Generation since mid-June. He explains his reasons for engaging in peaceful civil resistance as follows:
“I am angry that people’s suffering is being ignored. We are already feeling the catastrophic effects of the climate emergency today: droughts in northern Italy and fires in Brandenburg. Our children and grandchildren will suffer from water shortages, floods and wars. To prevent this from happening, we have to act now!”
Instead of extracting massive amounts of oil from the Wadden Sea nature reserve, those resisting are calling for cost-effective and quick measures for climate protection. They suggest both a speed limit and free local transport as options.
The climate catastrophe doesn't take a summer break! – Last generation continues to block.
Berlin, October 07.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m - While Olaf Scholz wants to say goodbye for the summer break, citizens of the last generation are once again blocking traffic in Berlin today and calling on the self-proclaimed 'climate chancellor' to fulfill his responsibility: plans for new oil drilling in the North Sea should be dropped.
“Scholz’s record is fatal. He is steering us with ever increasing speed into a world that is 2, 3, 4 degrees hotter, in which water shortages, hunger, flight and wars will be the order of the day.”, sums up Henning Jeschke (22), co-founder of the Last Generation.
He goes on to say: “You are breaking the constitution, Mr. Scholz, by deliberately escalating the climate crisis. Do you want to go on summer break? You are running away from your responsibilities! The climate catastrophe doesn’t take a summer break!”
Leah Bonasera (24), also co-founder of Last Generation, adds: “In this apocalyptic catastrophe, our government must remain faithful to its own constitution! [3] Where the heat destroys the harvest and floods take everything with them, human dignity and the livelihood of our children are also destroyed. Also for all future generations! This is not the time for a summer break. It is time to correct the inhumane wrong decisions.”
Janine O'Keeffe, one of the co-founders of Fridays for Future, joined the peaceful resistance of climate activists this week. Today she is still blocking streets in Berlin together with the Last Generation. She says:
“All of you join the peaceful civil resistance of the Last Generation! These people are reluctantly but sensibly blocking roads, in accordance with the IPCC's latest report. The alternative is: 'Risking all life on earth!' (Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research).”
The last generation is demanding from Chancellor Scholz that there should be no new drilling for oil in the North Sea. Instead, oil must be saved. Simple steps to achieve this are a speed limit and free public transport. A corresponding statement from Scholz will end the peaceful disruptive actions.
[3] Art. 20a GG: “The state, also responsible for future generations, protects the natural foundations of life (…) through executive power and jurisprudence.”
Tour de France disrupted – 3 more years to decide the fate of humanity!
Gråsten, July 03.07.2022rd, 17, 00:XNUMX p.m – On Sunday, the Tour de France, the largest annual sporting event in the world, was disrupted by climate activists from the Last Generation and the newly formed Sidste Generation. Her message: “The fate of humanity could be decided in the next three years! What will you do?". Further disruptions to significant events will be announced.
Climate activists entered the Tour de France section in Gråsten, Denmark, on Sunday. “Stop the fossil madness” and “Only 999 days left” could be read on the banners that the climate activists unfurled when the peloton was still about 5 km away. This distance was deliberately chosen to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
In a video that those involved released today, you can see how the front vehicles of the tour come to a stop in front of the climate protectors sitting on the street. [1]
"We really regret disrupting the Tour de France. But when the world threatens to go up in flames and all warnings have brought nothing, then it is our duty to send a global alarm signal. We are not prepared to stand on the sidelines cheering while our governments commit this unimaginable crime.",
explained Kristoffer Krogh (21), one of the Danish climate activists who disrupted the Tour de France.
Peaceful civil resistance initiatives similar to Sidste Generation and Last Generation are currently carrying out such disruptions in 22 countries under the common name “A10 Network”. A supporter of the French “Dernière Rénovation” chained her neck to the tennis net at the French Open final and supporters of the British “Just Stop Oil” campaign took to the track at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone.
As long as the respective governments do not turn back from their deadly, human rights-violating course, there will be peaceful disruptions at numerous other major events in order to direct the public's focus on the knowing destruction of our society. These disruptions will focus on the upcoming big events with the whole world watching. The Tour de France has also just begun.
[1]www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqUBBorZQl8
Citizens declare war on climate collapse - government goes on vacation.
You can find a cover image suggestion here.
Berlin, October 06.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m – Inhumane heat waves and droughts prevail in Italy, Portugal and Spain. But as the climate crisis escalates in Europe, German politicians are preparing for the summer break. Given the complete failure of the Scholz government, the climate protectors of the last generation continue to desperately search for the 'climate chancellor'. They are blocking the highways again.
During today's morning blockades, citizens hold up signs: "Where is the Climate Chancellor?" it reads accusingly. To this day, the search for decisive, constructive action in the catastrophe is characterized by failure. A complete failure of the government with far-reaching consequences for all of our lives.
I know that too Leah Bonasera (24), co-initiator of the Last Generation:
"What is currently happening in Italy, Portugal and Spain is just a bitter foretaste of the years to come. The climate catastrophe is already a reality. It will not stop at Germany. Can a climate chancellor really afford to go on summer break during this time?"
"The current path of the government is anti-people. Today's politics threaten us all. And all future generations!“, continues Bonasera.
The Federal Constitutional Court also came to this conclusion when it found the measures against global warming to be inadequate last April. The physical basis of human existence must not be jeopardized under any circumstances. However, this is exactly what is threatened by the Chancellor's current ignorance. [1]
With its grave silence, the federal government is not only turning against the future of its citizens under protection. It also breaks the constitutional order set out in Article 20a of the Basic Law. It says: “The state, also responsible for future generations, protects the natural foundations of life (…) through executive power and jurisprudence.” [2]
In any case, the climate protectors are not giving up. They will continue their peaceful civil resistance. They continue to block highways. Until the Federal Chancellor takes a stand against new oil drilling in the North Sea.
[1] Groundbreaking climate ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court – BUND eV
[2] Art. 20a GG – dejure.org
Pain grabs among scientists – facts cannot be silenced with pain grabs
Berlin, June 05.07.2022, 17, 30:XNUMX a.m - This morning, 7 scientists from the Scientist Rebellion group paralyzed Berlin traffic to remind the federal government of the scientific fact that the climate, entire ecosystems and ultimately society are threatened with collapse if CO2 emissions are not stopped at an emergency pace . The co-founder of Fridays for Future and confidant of Greta Thunberg, Janine O'Keeffe, was also there.
The above facts are recorded in the IPCC report, published by the United Nations and based on the life's work of thousands of scientists. However, instead of recognizing this reality, assuming his responsibility and protecting the lives of people in Germany, Olaf Scholz is having warning scientists removed from the street with painful grips. A biologist who works at the Berlin Charité then had to see a doctor.
“​​​​​​If Olaf Scholz's politics are so far removed from reality that he has to silence scientists with painful tactics, where does that leave us?“, asks Leah Bonasera, co-founder of the “Last Generation” movement and a doctoral student herself.
"It really hurt, and completely unnecessarily - the Berlin police are already using this as punishment to deter peaceful people from resisting the destruction of our society, our livelihood, and our children.", like that Prof. Dr. Niko Froitzheim, geologist at the University of Bonn about his experiences today.
"Although it would have been easy to carry me away, the police decided to drag me off the street using pain holds (medically certified hyperextension of both wrists). The reason: I had committed a crime and therefore it would be appropriate to inflict pain on myself. Don't courts impose judgments and punishments? I took part in the campaign to draw attention to the scientific facts about the increasingly rapidly escalating climate crisis - a development that is depriving us all of a secure, livable future and that is being ignored by Climate Chancellor Scholz.” reported Dr. Nana Maria Grüning, biologist at the Berlin Charité.
Mahatma Gandhi once said “Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt. And a citizen who cooperates with such a state shares in its corruption and lawlessness."
The last generation will fulfill this sacred duty and carry out peaceful resistance against Olaf Scholz and his government until they stop using painful tactics to silence the voices of reason in our society. Until it stops trampling on the right to life of billions of people. What kind of climate chancellor is Olaf Scholz if he believes he can silence scientific facts with painful tactics?
Dr. Nana Maria Grüning, a biologist at the Berlin Charité is dragged off the street with pain in her arms.
Scientists block the highway – Scientist Rebellion supports the last generation
Berlin, October 05.07.2022, 8, 00:XNUMX a.m – In order to emphasize the scientific facts about the escalation of the climate and ecological catastrophe, 7 scientists from Scientist Rebellion (SR) blocked the road on the spur of the A103, Schlossstrasse intersection. In doing so, they support the demands of the “Last Generation” group for a declaration by Chancellor Scholz against new oil drilling in the North Sea. Several of the scientists in white lab coats also stuck themselves to the road with superglue.
“I am a geologist and I know from the history of the earth that the climate can change. We are extremely close to such a point and only have a few years left to avoid the worst. The fact that our government wants to develop new fossil fuels in this situation is a crime against the countries most affected and a crime against our children and grandchildren. As a scientist, I resist this”, says Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim from the University of Bonn.
“We are sorry if we burden some people's everyday lives. But actions that don't bother anyone are ignored and therefore have no effect. We may break laws and rules, but we would be truly guilty if we didn't. Then we would be giving our tacit consent to a political and economic system that is driving us towards ecocide and unprecedented human suffering.”, like that Biologist Dr. Nana Maria Grüning from the Berlin Charite.
The scientists, dressed in lab coats, presented publications describing the climate crisis and its dramatic consequences, as well as pithy quotes from famous German climate scientists. As the climate crisis escalates and all life in the world is threatened, Olaf Scholz's government wants to take a summer break. The scientists at SR see the climate and ecological catastrophe as so threatening that they are pausing their work to engage in peaceful civil resistance.
Scientist Rebellion calls on science to take responsibility and join peaceful actions of civil disobedience. Those who know the most about the crisis have a moral obligation to act accordingly.
Greta Thunberg – Confidant demands response from criminal government
Berlin, July 05.07.2022th, 08 00:XNUMX a.m – Traffic on the highways around Berlin is at a standstill. For the second time this week, the third week in a row. The citizens of the last generation have once again glued themselves to the road to resist the deadly course that the Scholz government has taken in the escalating climate catastrophe. They are demanding a declaration from Olaf Scholz before the summer break that there will be no new oil drilling in the North Sea.
But it's not just ordinary citizens who are no longer watching as human rights, the constitution and everything we need to live are being thrown to fossil fuel madness. Together with the Last Generation, scientists from the Scientist Rebellion group and one of the most influential people in the Fridays for Future movement are now bringing everyday life to pause.
Janine O'Keeffe is one of the co-founders of Fridays for Future. She has supported Greta Thunberg since her very first school strike in front of the Swedish parliament in August 2018. It was she who created the first Facebook page for Fridays for Future and was responsible for its public appearance as the movement gained worldwide fame [1]. Greta Thunberg's confidant is convinced: The time to enter into civil resistance has come. The actions of governments are criminal and they have not allowed less disruptive means to deter their crimes.
"We, the climate movements, have been taking increasingly stronger actions for decades. The last generation continues this peaceful civil resistance sensibly, courageously and reluctantly. To protect their own lives and the lives of many, because as Johan Rockström says: 'All life is threatened!'” like that Janine O'Keeffe literally, while blocking one of the state capital's main arteries.
"Deadly heat waves, floods, flight and hunger will also make our lives hell in Germany if we continue to drill for oil. Olaf Scholz has decided to stubbornly ignore this. Where is a German climate chancellor when the population needs him? Does he just go on summer break and abandon people?” arranges Leah Bonasera, co-founder of Last Generation, today's actions.
The scientists would like to make it clear with their presence on the streets today that the climate is on the verge of tipping point and that we are therefore in a global emergency.
"The fact that our government wants to develop new fossil fuels in this situation is a crime against the countries most affected and a crime against our children and grandchildren. As a scientist, I resist this", says Prof. Dr. Nicholas Froitzheim while he sticks himself to the road with superglue.
[1] www.jetzt.de/umwelt/fridays-for-future-janine-okeeffe-ist-admin-der-internationalen-facebook-seite
A100 blocked for hours - summer break while life is in danger?
Cover photo of this press release can be found here
Berlin, October 04.07.2022, 12, 00:XNUMX a.m - Since this morning at 08:00 a.m., citizens of the last generation have been unignorably blocking traffic in Berlin for the third week in a row. The Last Generation explains that the blockades will continue today and in the coming days.
Former carpenter trainee Jacob Beyer (28), who has been blocking the A08 since 30:100 a.m. on a sign bridge, states: “We're still blocking traffic. We regret that. However, we can no longer afford for the Chancellor to continue to completely ignore the impending destruction of our society. It's a matter of life and death and the Chancellor wants to go on summer break?"
Christian Bläul (40) Father and qualified physicist, who has already blocked the A100 once today, emphasizes: “I and others will take to the streets of Berlin once again today, because it cannot be that the Scholz government goes into summer break while we are heading towards the destruction of our society. First comes work, then comes pleasure, Mr. Scholz."
The last generation is demanding a declaration that there should be no drilling for oil in the North Sea and steps towards saving instead of drilling. Free local transport and a speed limit would be the first easy steps to implement.
Summer break despite the emergency? – Last generation blocks sign gantries on A100
Berlin, October 04.07.2022, 8 15:XNUMX a.m – In order to prevent the climate catastrophe from escalating, this morning last generation citizens are once again stuck on the road of the Berlin A100 city motorway. For a future worth living without new oil drilling in the North Sea, the climate protectors are even intensifying their resistance actions at the beginning of the third week and fixating themselves on sign bridges over the motorway.
With their actions, the Last Generation continues to call on Chancellor Scholz to live up to his self-imposed title as so-called 'climate chancellor'. He should take a clear position against new oil drilling in the North Sea. The resistance groups do not want to accept that the Chancellor will say goodbye to the summer break despite the acute climate emergency. To this end, the peaceful blockers are holding up posters today: “Missing! Climate Chancellor.”
One of the blockades today is accompanied by one of the most important people in the climate movement; Electrical engineer and co-founder of Fridays for Future, Janine O'Keeffe (58). The Australian-born woman is convinced that the time has come to join civil resistance. [FK1]
"We watch the climate collapse as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls our politicians, our governments, criminals for failing to address the climate emergency. Criminal because they allow new coal and fossil fuel projects!
We, the climate movements, have been taking increasingly stronger actions for decades. The last generation continues this peaceful civil resistance sensibly, courageously and involuntarily.
To protect their own lives and the lives of many, because as Johan Rockström says: “All life is threatened!""
Henning Jeschke (22), co-founder of the Last Generation, adds: “We are running out of time! We still have two to three years to do something about the climate catastrophe. In the future, droughts, deadly heat waves and scarcity of resources, floods, displacement and hunger will become part of our everyday lives."
He goes on to say: “And what is the Scholz government doing? She is leaving her people alone in this catastrophe! Scholz promises to be a 'climate chancellor', but plans to take his summer break - i.e. watch the climate collapse and do nothing! That's why we will continue to carry out peaceful civil resistance until the government speaks out against new oil drilling in the North Sea!"
The movement does not give up hope for a future worth living. Citizens are prepared to go to prison for this. With today's actions and the support of more and more well-known faces of the climate protection movement like O'Keeffe, the Last Generation wants to invite more people to join the civil resistance. Anyone interested can take part in a lecture and training at any time. [FK2]
Stroller on fire – Where is the Climate Chancellor?
You can find the cover photo of this press release here.
Berlin, July 2, 2022, 11 a.m – Citizens of the last generation emphasized their demand this afternoon with a symbolic action in front of the Federal Chancellery. They are demanding a declaration from Chancellor Olaf Scholz in which he rules out new oil drilling in the North Sea. An empty stroller was on fire while a politician sat idly by in a sun lounger, enjoying his summer break.
Solvig Schinköthe (42), mother of three children:
"My youngest child is nine and he is growing up in a burning world. Children in particular are already dying from the climate catastrophe. And what is our federal government doing? She wants to add more fuel to the fire by drilling more in the North Sea. In doing so, it destroys our livelihoods and the future of our children."
She further said:
"We citizens demand that our government fulfill its duty. It is obliged in our Basic Law to protect our livelihoods, especially in responsibility for our children. We therefore demand that Olaf Scholz clearly rejects new oil drilling in the North Sea before the summer break!"
Leah Bonasera (24), co-founder of the Last Generation:
"Today we are already seeing the catastrophic effects of the climate emergency: droughts in northern Italy or the fires here in Brandenburg. And we only have a few years left before our climate spirals completely out of control and we head towards the destruction of our society. That's why our government must now adopt austerity measures such as a speed limit and free public transport, which would massively save fossil oil!"
After another week of highway blockades, the peaceful citizens of the last generation want to use this symbolic action to draw attention to the urgency and drama of the climate crisis. Under the motto “Climate Chancellor is missing!” they are demanding that Olaf Scholz reject new oil drilling in the North Sea before the start of the parliamentary summer break. In the last few days there have been repeated color campaigns by the Last Generation at the Federal Chancellor's Office and at the Willy Brandt House, where the words "Where is the Climate Chancellor?" were attached to the facade.
Location of today's action: Paul-Löbe-Allee 52.51973955015593, 13.373151469340456
Nationwide road blockades – climate chancellor wanted!
Carla Hinrichs (25), studies law and is a spokeswoman for the citizens' movement. Regarding the traffic blockades, she says:
“We urgently need a climate chancellor! Chancellor Scholz's current course puts the population's basic rights to life and freedom in massive danger. The constitution also applies to a chancellor! We expect him to make a clear statement that there will be no deadly oil drilling in the North Sea.”
The initiative has been blocking highways in Berlin almost every day since June 18th. Several climate activists have already suffered injuries during the peaceful traffic disruptions. Just yesterday, a person was knocked down by a police officer and suffered a broken collarbone and a concussion [1]. Even after such incidents, the peaceful resisters will continue to block. Because they know that hundreds of millions of lives are at risk due to climate collapse. They continue to demand an explanation from the Chancellor.
In the words of Lea Bonasera (24), co-founder of Last Generation:
“We are running out of time in the fight against climate collapse. Olaf Scholz now has to speak out. If he doesn't do it, German politics will miss the last exit towards a future worth living. We demand: 'Save oil instead of drilling'. A speed limit and free public transport would be the first steps here. If they were implemented, Mr. Scholz would take an important step towards becoming a 'climate chancellor'.”
[1] Last Generation on Twitter: “++ Broken collarbone and concussion ++ During the road blockade at the A100 Steglitz Nord exit, a police officer brought down a person from the Last Generation today. This is what Ede said after he got out of the hospital: @EdmundSchultz2 t.co/wM6RnZfozE” / Twitter