Enlarge image
Concrete mixer at the scene of the accident: woman trapped
Photo: Paul Zinken / dpa
The rescue operation in Berlin, which is said to have been hampered by climate blockades, is causing anger and criticism in Berlin politics.
The Berlin state government has warned the activists not to endanger human life.
"Climate protests must not endanger people," said Transport Senator Bettina Jarasch.
If this was the case, according to the Green Party politician, then it was "simply appalling" and shouldn't be repeated.
It must be clarified to what extent the activists are to blame for the fact that a cyclist who was run over by a cement mixer could not be helped more quickly, Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey had previously demanded.
This is the job of the police and the courts.
In principle, the endangerment of human life "cannot be justified by anything," according to the SPD politician.
Climate researcher Latif on climate activists: "Terrible", "counterproductive", "completely unacceptable"
The cyclist was hit and run over by a cement mixer in the capital on Monday morning.
According to the fire brigade, a special vehicle arrived late at the scene of the accident because it had been stuck in traffic for a long time due to blockades by climate activists.
"Unfortunately, our special technology was stuck in traffic on the Autobahn," said a spokesman for Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.
The highway was blocked by the demonstration.
According to the police, the woman suffered "severe, life-threatening injuries".
Activists from the group »Last Generation« announced on Monday that some of them had protested on the city highway and disrupted traffic.
The group cannot rule out that the vehicle's delay "is due to a traffic jam caused by us".
»Last generation«: Watch out for emergency lanes
During the protests, the top priority is "to ensure the safety of all people taking part," said a spokeswoman.
“We are dismayed that a cyclist was injured by a truck today.
We sincerely hope that the delay has not worsened her health.' Another representative of the 'Last Generation' said that care was taken to ensure that emergency lanes were followed.
The well-known climate researcher Mojib Latif also sharply attacked the actions of the protesters.
“It's terrible and counterproductive.
The approach taken by Klima-Kleber is completely unacceptable," he told the "Bild" newspaper.
»These people destroy more with their actions than they want to achieve.«
He sees the long-term work of climate researchers in danger as a result of the actions.
“If things go on like this, people will say that climate research is dubious.
And we don't want that.«
The Berlin opposition parties also sharply criticized the climate activists.
"The life of a young woman is at stake because climate chaos is blocking the streets of Berlin," said the domestic spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, Frank Balzer.
The judiciary must take action with all its possibilities.
The penalty must be exhausted.
The state chairman of the Berlin FDP, Christoph Meyer, called the activists “criminal offenders”.
Tolerance by the Greens and the Left must come to an end – Senator for Justice Lena Kreck (Left) should “no longer look the other way”.
While rescue workers were taking care of the woman, an unknown attacked the 64-year-old concrete mixer driver with a knife.
The attacker then fled the scene of the accident.
Both the cyclist and the truck driver were taken to the hospital.
Apr/AFP