German police arrested fourteen climate protesters accused of spray-painting Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate on Sunday.
The activists were members of the “Letzte Generation,” or Last Generation, Berlin Police said in a Twitter post. Officers noticed the activists had a “lifting platform” in place, but police prevented the protestors from using it to scale the landmark. “All 14 people involved were arrested on site and investigations were initiated into criminal damage to property,” the post further read.
“Herr Scholz, you have to act now,” a protester said, addressing the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a video shared by Reuters. “We will continue protesting until you do — peacefully and with determination, but we will not stop protesting. I call on all of you to join our protest, because only with the many will we achieve a turning point,” she added. Police then dragged her away to the cheers and applause of people.
Climate change activists covered Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate in orange paint to protest the government’s use of fossil fuels. Officials in Germany say all 14 protesters were detained. pic.twitter.com/FWfZ8JL6ZK
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 18, 2023
Last generation called for “a fundamental change” from oil, gas and coal by 2030, “toward fairness.”
Germany set its net-zero emissions deadline for 2045 but has missed its annual targets for the past two years, per Reuters.
The Last Generation, alongside the U.K.’s Just Stop Oil and the U.S.-based Declare Emergency, belongs to the A22 Network, a group “engaged in a mad dash to try and save humanity.” (RELATED: Screaming Eco-Activists Blockade Doors To Federal Reserve Building)
✊ Wir werden unseren Protest erst beenden, wenn die Wende eingeleitet ist. Wir müssen bis spätestens 2030 raus aus Erdöl, Gas und Kohle.
Anstatt dass die fossilen Konzerne Teile der Politik kaufen und lenken, muss die Bevölkerung in einem Gesellschaftsrat zusammenkommen. pic.twitter.com/1QDlZ4KUUj
— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) September 17, 2023
Climate activists have faced backlash from governments and civilians for their disruptive tactics.
A man was seen in a video using what the Last Generation said was pepper spray on some climate protesters blocking vehicular traffic.
Climate protesters pelted Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary with a cream cake September 7 while he was petitioning the European Union over the mass cancellation of Ryanair overflights due to French air traffic control strikes, a video showed. O’Leary later was heard joking, “I love cream cakes.”
Climate protesters blocked Citibank employees September 15 from entering the headquarters in New York City, accusing the bank of funding oil-and-gas-related projects, per a separate video.