The climate protection activists of the “last generation” have started the announced mega-protest in the capital. On Monday morning, a total of 13 spots on the Autobahn in Berlin were blocked. Miles of traffic jams formed. So far there have been 48 provisional arrests. Some of the participants are said to have already been brought before a magistrate.
The climate activists of the “last generation” started a new series of intensified protests on motorways in 13 different locations in Berlin on Monday morning. Despite the rain-soaked lanes, several dozen activists stuck to the asphalt and blocked various lanes in the capital from 8 a.m.
The A 100 was particularly hard hit, where blockades were set up on ten different route sections and exits alone, the climate protection initiative FOCUS Online explained on request. Another concerned the A 111. Two planned blockades were apparently intercepted by the police beforehand. According to the climate activists, 48 people have been arrested for the time being. Allegedly, some of them are already being brought before a magistrate to obtain an arrest warrant.
On the north bank of Westhafen, three activists stuck themselves to the end of Germany’s busiest autobahn heading north, creating a kilometer-long backlog heading south. In the meantime, the police have removed all demonstrators from the roadways and taken them away.
When the activists sat down on the road at around 8:10 a.m., there were several arguments with drivers, one of the local activists reported to FOCUS Online. “Some reacted very angrily and also tried to pull us off the road. But nothing happened. We weren’t stuck because we’re waiting for the police to get there,” says Friedrich Graeber.
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The 23-year-old understands the harsh reactions. “I can understand the anger and I’m also sorry that the motorists have been inconvenienced by our protest. But it is not directed against them, but against Olaf Scholz’s federal government,” said the student. “What we are asking for is a declaration that oil is no longer being drilled in the North Sea.” At around 9:40 a.m., the police began to loosen Graeber and his two comrades-in-arms with olive oil from the roadway.
The protest actions of the climate protection group “Last Generation” have been running nationwide for several weeks now. Smaller groups of about half a dozen people keep blocking motorway exits in order to create a stir through the traffic jams created at rush hour in the early morning rush hour and thus draw attention to their concerns. In this way, the mainly young activists want to urge the federal government to do more for the interests of climate protection.
As in the past few weeks and months, the activists had announced that they would stick their hands to the roadway on Monday morning in order to disrupt traffic at rush hour. The probability of rush-hour traffic in Berlin could increase significantly on Monday morning, the organizers said when asked on Sunday. The tightened actions are to be continued with immediate effect.
Again and again there are sometimes violent reactions from some drivers. In May, a Mercedes driver caused a stir in Munich at the exit of the A95 in the south of Munich. The man had threatened an activist with the words “I’ll drive over his bones” and then dragged the young man off the street.
In Berlin alone, this led to more than 270 criminal charges and around 120 charges of administrative offenses. In the meantime, the police have a mid-three-digit number of investigations, mostly about coercion and resistance against police officers. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has received 65 cases so far. So far there has not been a decision in any proceedings as to whether charges can be brought or whether the proceedings can be dropped.
