G7 critics set up protest camp: organizers outraged by official letter

Created: 06/25/2022, 06:50

The construction of the G7 protest camp began on Friday.

© Josef Hornsteiner

Two days before the G7 summit in Elmau, critics set up their protest camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

A letter from the authorities causes irritation.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen – One of the first things that came up was the kitchen tent.

Three young people, two men and a woman, stand together and chop onions.

"We're having falafel today," the lady explains.

The food costs almost nothing - you can donate to it.

"An open kitchen for everyone," says the man.

G7 summit 2022 in Elmau: spokesman for the protest camp hopes that the locals will get involved

The kitchen tent forms the heart of the "Stop G7 Elmau" protest camp, which has been open since yesterday evening at 6 p.m.

Elderly gentlemen in vests covered in patches carry poles around, drive pegs into the ground, prepare.

Seven police officers are outside on the dirt road and watch the goings-on.

The officials already check at the bridge and ask for ID cards.

Only one in the camp is surrounded by numerous film crews.

York Runte, 61, is the spokesman for the camp.

He patiently gives one interview after the other.

"We hope that many locals in particular will take part in the demos," says the Munich native.

"If only because there is no third summit taking place here." The 61-year-old is also convinced that there will be fewer events this year than in 2015 - which is partly due to the obstacles that the authorities allegedly put in the way of the protesters.

All important information about the G7 summit is also available in our news ticker.

G7 summit 2022 in Elmau: Organizers have to provide toilets for the demo

So far, the cooperation between the camp residents and the police has been going well, says Runte.

But he is annoyed with the authorities.

Because the organizers now have to set up eight toilets at the opening event at the train station on Sunday at the demonstration in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

"That's never happened before." He is considering hiring lawyers.

But what irritates him even more is that the demonstrators have only now been informed that a small promontory runs across the site, which is designated as a biotope.

Runte considers this to be targeted harassment: "We are being restricted in our right to demonstrate." But there is another story behind it.

Protest camp for the G7 summit: Raubal meadow is no longer a biotope

Due to the bee referendum in 2019, the status of the piece of meadow along the Loisach changed.

It was now officially considered a biotope, explains Stephan Scharf, spokesman for the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district office.

Formally, nothing would have changed as a result of the usage specifications.

“Even before this, this roughly 90 centimeter wide strip was an area of ​​valuable nature conservation value.

This is why this area of ​​the meadow had to be demarcated with barrier tape at the 2015 summit.”

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Large tents were not allowed in this area.

From the speaker's point of view, this area near the embankment would not have been suitable for larger tents anyway.

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Storms could make it difficult for activists to camp

However, when the authorities were on site yesterday afternoon to inspect and approve the campsite, it turned out that the "mowing behavior" of the past years and decades means that it is no longer a biotope.

This means that the demonstrators are allowed to camp on the meadow without restrictions - provided they comply with the alcohol ban and the quiet time from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Even before the opening, it poured heavily in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

If the camp had to be evacuated in the event of flooding, for example, the demonstrators could be accommodated in the emergency shelters either in the gymnasium of the Werdenfels Gymnasium or in the tennis hall at Mittenwalder Riedboden.

"But we only have 200 beds," says Wolfgang Rotzsche, also spokesman for the authorities.

The rest need a sleeping pad and sleeping bag.

The reason is an acute lack of material.

"Even when the war refugees from Ukraine arrived, we had problems getting enough beds."

You can find more current news about the 2022 summit at Merkur.de/G7-Gipfel Elmau.