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Police officers carry away a climate activist from the »Last Generation« environmental protection movement in Munich on November 21
Photo: Lennart Preiss / dpa
19 climate activists who were involved in tape-ups in Munich have been released from police custody.
Originally, the members of the so-called »Last Generation« were each supposed to spend 30 days in the Munich Stadelheim Correctional Facility (JVA).
Some of the activists have been in preventive custody by the Munich police since the beginning of November, others were originally supposed to stay until December 2nd.
"We are constantly required to check the conditions for detention," a spokesman for the Munich police headquarters justified the premature release of police custody on Saturday.
“That led to the fact that on Friday afternoon we came to the conclusion that the conditions for detention are no longer met, i.e. that further criminal offenses by those in detention are not to be expected, at least for the time being.”
The police decision to release was made on Friday evening after the »Last Generation« group announced that it would initially refrain from further actions in Berlin and Munich after a heavily criticized blockade at Berlin Airport BER.
The group is responsible for several sticking actions in the Bavarian state capital, as a result of which police custody was ordered against participants.
Because the release order was not issued until Friday evening after the situation had been reassessed, the 19 activists – including six women – stayed in Stadelheim Prison overnight after consultation with those affected before they were released on Saturday morning.
This means that all climate activists who were last in custody in Munich are free again.
"There were people there who had been in custody for a longer period of time, but also some who had only been in custody for a short time," explained the police spokesman.
One of the men was on a hunger strike, but police said he was not in critical condition, so he was released early with the others.
The men and women wanted to draw attention to the destruction of the environment and climate change with their sticking activities.
Actions of this kind have also attracted a great deal of attention in other cities in Germany in recent weeks and triggered political debates.
For the “Last Generation” climate rebels, the early dismissal of their members is a triumph.
"People in Munich are no longer held politically," the group tweeted on Saturday morning.
"Everybody's getting free right now."
According to the Bavarian Police Responsibilities Act, citizens can be detained for up to one month on the basis of a judicial decision in order to prevent the commission of an administrative offense of considerable public importance or a criminal offence.
This period can be extended by a maximum of one additional month.