Climate change is progressing, time is running out. The “last generation” wants to counter this with a “permanent state of protest”. Anyone who was already angry with climate activists in 2022 should be even more angry in 2023.
At a press conference in Berlin on January 30, the climate activists of the group “Last Generation” announced that they would massively expand their protests in Germany – more participants, more places, more actions. These already caused criticism among large parts of the population last year – but that should only have been the beginning.
In the new year, the “Last Generation” plans to shift up a gear. The protests should take place as often as possible in the future and become a kind of permanent state. “In 2023, our resistance will be greater than ever,” said her spokeswoman Aimée van Baalen.
On February 6, the “Last Generation” wants to paralyze traffic throughout Germany. Write to us where you urgently want to go on Monday and what message you have for the climate activists to mein-bericht@focus.de. Please enter your name and place of residence, we use selected letters for reporting.
“We will take our protests to every town and village in Germany and peacefully interrupt everyday life there.” The well-known forms of protest will be retained, but with significantly more participants. The focus is no longer just on big cities, but also on rural regions.
“We are ready to bring the republic to a peaceful standstill,” emphasizes Aimée van Baalen. “We want to invite everyone in Germany to join.”
In order for Germany to become climate-neutral by 2030, the “last generation” is calling on the traffic light government to convene a “social council”. Its composition should not be determined by the parties and elections like a parliament, but by a draw. After all, climate change affects everyone, regardless of political leanings.
This group is to work out the necessary steps for a “zero emissions Germany” in 2030. There are only two or three years left to take action on climate change. I’ve been ignoring “last generation” so far.
“We assume that we will put so much pressure on the federal government with our protests that they can no longer ignore us,” said activist Carla Hinrichs. “They either lock us all away or comply with our demands for a social council.”
For a year now, the so-called “climate stickers” have been attracting attention across Germany with their protest actions and radical views. At the beginning the group consisted of 24 people in Berlin, but according to their own statements, the number of members now amounts to over 800 people across the country – mostly Generation Z or Y, i.e. those born between 1980 and 2010.
With road blockades, mashed potatoes attacks on paintings in museums and protests at airports, the activists want to raise awareness of the problems caused by climate change – and are thus causing dissatisfaction among the population. Drivers curse, prosecutors investigate, politicians are outraged and even speak of “climate extremists”.
“Our first goal is not to be popular,” said activist Jakob Beyer. “It is crucial for us to generate the pressure to implement the measures.” The group continues to rely on the “irrefutable consensus” of non-violence. However, given some incidents that have involved bystanders, not all participants seem committed to this principle.
