Climate activists protest against short-haul flights

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Protesters at Berlin Tegel Airport

Activists of the Extinction Rebellion climate protection movement protested against domestic German air traffic at several airports on Monday. The actions in Munich, Lübeck, Berlin and Düsseldorf were intended to draw attention to the fact that short-haul flights make a "significant contribution" to Germany's "harmful CO2 footprint," declared the alliance. As reported by the Lübeck Police Department, 18 people were taken into custody there by Monday morning.

Extinction Rebellion spoke of "targeted and peaceful actions" at four German airports. "We have no other choice than to work peacefully for immediate climate protection measures," explained Susanne Egli, marine biologist and part of the Extinction Rebellion local group in Munich.

One of the activists first boarded a plane at Düsseldorf Airport, but then asked to be allowed to disembark immediately before taking off. A video published by Extinction Rebellion shows the action. The on-board personnel announce via loudspeaker that the aircraft must return to its starting position in order to let the man out.

In the video you can hear other passengers berating the activist and asking him to sit down again. There were also many disparaging comments on Twitter under the video.

Extinction Rebellion argues that leading scientists predicted "that the earth will in all likelihood warm to over three degrees by the end of the century," said spokeswoman Egli. "Our society as we know it now will collapse under it," she warned. The climate protection activists described it as a "duty to the coming generations, now, in 2020, to do everything possible and necessary about it, such as specifically disrupting air traffic".

In Lübeck, where scheduled flight operations resumed on Monday for the first time in years, police reported that five people tried to get over the outside fence of the airport with a ladder early on Monday morning. This could have been prevented by the police.

Fixed with superglue

Another 15 people were able to get through the fence at another point and were taken into custody on the apron by police forces. Of these, three tried to fix themselves with superglue, the police said. This could also be "prevented in time".

Three activists reportedly had plane tickets for a flight to Munich. A passenger wanted to fix himself on the plane to Munich with superglue, the officials said. This could be prevented by a passenger as well as the police officers present and the security service of the airport.

The man was therefore also taken into custody. According to the police, the total of 18 arrested must now answer in a preliminary investigation. Seven people were released after their personal details were determined.

lmd / AFP