MMembers of the climate protection group Last Generation sprayed the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with orange paint. All six pillars were affected, a police spokesman said on Sunday morning. Emergency services are on site and arrests have been made.
The last generation said prepared fire extinguishers were used for the campaign. At the same time, paint was spilled on Pariser Platz in front of the Berlin landmark. Some people walked through these and left glowing footprints on the square. “The protest makes it clear: It is time for a political change: away from fossil fuels and towards fairness,” said the activists.
At the beginning of September, the activists announced an indefinite protest in Berlin. From September 13th, hundreds of people from all over Germany would travel to the capital to demand that the federal government phase out fossil fuels by 2030. Then the use of coal, oil and gas should end.
“We are no longer making simple demands like we did last year,” said activist Carla Hinrichs at a press conference on September 8th. Only when the federal government has developed a concrete plan will people leave the streets again. “Nobody will be able to ignore us,” said Hinrichs.
2860 proceedings after climate protests in Berlin
The recent protest by climate demonstrators in Berlin has now led to 2,860 proceedings by the public prosecutor’s office (as of September 15th). An authority spokesman told the German Press Agency on request. The majority of the cases involve actions by the climate protection group Last Generation: the public prosecutor’s office has so far brought 2,458 cases to the table, according to the spokesman. The remaining cases (402) are directed against members of the Extinction Rebellion organization. The judiciary is now likely to face further proceedings: The Last Generation has once again announced road blockades for the coming days.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, there are now 74 legally binding judgments against members of the protest group. The Tiergarten District Court has made a total of 143 judgments so far, and in two cases the accused were acquitted. A prison sentence was imposed in two cases.
Climate activists often receive fines
As a rule, the climate activists were sentenced to fines, mostly for coercion and resistance to law enforcement officers. If an objection is lodged against the penalty orders initially issued, an oral hearing will take place before the Tiergarten District Court. This has been the case regularly for several months.
According to the spokesman, the public prosecutor’s office has so far brought charges in 87 cases. However, she usually requests that the offenses be punished through a penalty order, i.e. without an oral hearing. So far, this has happened in 848 cases among members of the last generation, it said.
The allegations are often directed against the same person. Then several procedures are combined. According to the public prosecutor’s office, this has happened in 820 cases so far in the Last Generation case.
In order to bring the cases against the climate demonstrators to court more quickly, the public prosecutor’s office began applying for accelerated proceedings in the summer. The Tiergarten District Court created the organizational requirements for this in June and adjusted its business distribution plan.
According to its own information, the public prosecutor’s office has so far requested accelerated proceedings in 62 cases; However, this has been rejected 30 times so far. Criminal proceedings in which the evidence is uncomplicated and the accused have confessed are suitable for accelerated proceedings. Among other things, simplified rules for taking evidence apply.
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