Dhe last generation wants to be a reflective protest group. “We question our system,” says the activists’ catalog of values. But the activists also want to question themselves again and again – and their own protest. They are in a “continuous learning and development process,” say the activists, who were initially called “climate glue” by their opponents, but soon by almost everyone. If the last generation has its way, this term will be outdated in the future; activists no longer want to stick themselves to the streets. From March onwards, a “new era of our peaceful, civil resistance will begin – the chapter of sticking and road blockades will end”.
This is what it says in the annual plan that the Last Generation presented on Monday evening and in which they outline how their protest should lead to politics and society recognizing what the activists believe is urgently needed in terms of climate policy. The goal this year is to “mobilize a critical mass of people onto the streets.” As the “main form of protest,” “disobedient events” are intended to replace adhesive blockades.
These have recently caught fewer and fewer people. The police in large cities in particular have now learned how to quickly remove the superglue. The activists, in turn, had to learn that social support for this form of protest is extremely low. Last year, in a survey by the Verian polling institute, only eight percent of those surveyed showed understanding for the blockades. The Last Generation discussed internally what to call the sticking: Should the goal be to paralyze the capital, or would a less confrontational choice of words be more successful? By then, other climate activists had largely lost patience with their fellow gluers; Fridays for Future, for example, was increasingly distancing themselves.
The fear of prison – and the public
In the last generation itself, however, the adhesive blocks are considered a success. The activist and spokesman for the Last Generation Theodor Schnorr told the FAZ on Tuesday: “The blockades have shown that the government would rather criminalize ordinary citizens than tackle the climate crisis.” However, when it comes to the numerous legal proceedings that followed the blockades, the assessment varies of the activists.
Some of them saw the trials as a useful stage for presenting their own demands: anyone who ostentatiously and stubbornly even goes to prison shows how important the matter is to them. But not everyone shared this calculation. The Last Generation's protest guidelines state that they accept “repression,” but “mass imprisonment” only lasts a few weeks or months. But repeat offenders in particular were threatened with longer sentences – although the sentences after blockades vary widely across the country to this day.
Impressed by the legal pressure and social lack of understanding, activists have recently experimented with blockades without glue in some places – from the activists' point of view, the disadvantage is that these can be quickly dissolved. It was not without envy that the last generation looked at the farmers' protest, which significantly disrupted traffic in many places – without widespread calls for criminal prosecution being heard. In any case, Schnorr says he has nothing against “collecting fewer charges” in the future.
The future “disobedient events” should be meetings, explains Schnorr, in which the many sympathizers who only want to join the Last Generation can also take part. They should not be registered as a demonstration, but should be announced publicly. Schnorr expects that the police could try to break up the meetings. Then every activist can think about how to react. It is said that these actions should also take place more often outside of Berlin and other metropolises. In any case, it won't be possible to ignore this protest, say the activists. The aim should be in particular “places of fossil destruction”, as was the case in the past “with protests at oil pipelines, airports or the RWE company premises”.
Following the example of American activists, the Last Generation wants to more often confront politicians with their criticism in front of the camera, according to their annual protest plan. The approach is not really new; activists recently disrupted an appearance by CDU chairman Friedrich Merz at the “Green Week” agricultural trade fair with their shouts.
In addition, the last generation wants to win the Federal President. “From our point of view, Frank-Walter Steinmeier is highly respected,” say the activists. “We will call on him to speak publicly and honestly about climate destruction and the necessary change of course.” An appeal to the head of state should be drawn up in the coming months.
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