Climate change activists set off numerous flight cancellations at two airports after gluing their hands to runways to protest greenhouse gas emissions.
Members of the climate activist group Last Generation gathered at two German airports early Thursday morning to demand that the country’s government take action to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases caused by aviation.
Some of the climate activists used a mix of concrete and epoxy resin to secure their hands onto the runway. Dozens of flights were canceled and 10 incoming planes had to be landed at other airports. The group disrupted the Hamburg Airport on the first day of the city’s busy holiday season, when many families take their summer vacations.(RELATED: London Climate Change Protesters Glue Themselves To Cars, Nearly 300 Arrested)
Climate activists stick themselves to the taxiways at Düsseldorf and Hamburg Airport, disrupting flight operations. pic.twitter.com/ocoXjv5G2j
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 13, 2023
At Dusseldorf Airport, members of the group broke through a security gate to block the runway access route, which halted the operation of multiple flights. According to The Associated Press, the group insisted that the government enact “immediate measures to cut emissions in the transportation sector, including ending tax exemptions for airline kerosene” to counteract the climate crisis.
Eco-activists in Germany used a concrete and epoxy resin mixture to glue their hands to the asphalt in protest. Tragically, the consequences may require potential amputation of their hands😳 pic.twitter.com/xLnBuXkiKx
— Tansu YEĞEN (@TansuYegen) July 12, 2023
Government officials have condemned the protests, with German Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport Volker Wissing saying that “Last Generation isn’t protecting the climate, they’re engaged in criminal activity.” (RELATED: Climate Change Protesters Disrupt Tour De France)
Though several Last Generation members’ homes were raided after an earlier protest in May, authorities have made no arrests for Thursday’s airport protests.