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Activists of the "Last Generation" at a street blockade in Munich in February
Photo: Matthias Balk / dpa
The »Last Generation«, a group of climate activists, has announced a continuation of their protest actions and criticized »a wave of accusations, untruths and hate speech« against themselves.
This is what it says in a statement from the group, in which the media in particular are sharply criticized.
The statement is available to SPIEGEL, it was written on Thursday.
»We knew that we were going to face a lot.
We knew we would make a lot of enemies," the statement said.
"We didn't expect that an entire media system would turn against us."
Criticism of »bloated« reporting
The media criticism is fierce: "Is it plausible that a media landscape that takes up the cause of enlightening society fictitiously exaggerates a situation in this form and thus delegitimizes democratic protest in a crisis situation?" It is shocking that one cannot rely on “the simplest principles in a democracy – such as neutral, fact-based reporting”.
The text indicates that there were insults by journalists on the phone.
Violence against the activists had been called for.
The background is the discussion about an accident in Berlin.
A cyclist was run over by a concrete mixer on Monday.
A recovery vehicle was held up by a traffic jam on the way to the scene of the accident and, according to research by the "Tagesspiegel", arrived a few minutes later than would have been possible without the traffic jam.
The traffic jam on the A100 city highway was also so severe because two activists from the »Last Generation« had climbed onto a motorway sign.
The police, who had been informed shortly beforehand, therefore blocked off several lanes and the traffic backed up.
Shortly after the accident, a discussion broke out about the activists' guilt for a possibly delayed rescue of the cyclist.
Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) said the police and courts had to clarify to what extent the activists were to blame for the fact that the accident victim could not be helped more quickly.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) said this week: "Demonstrating is part of the democratic constitutional state, but even a good cause does not justify all means." Anyone who endangers the life and limb of other people is crossing the line of acceptable protest.
On Thursday, the police announced that the cyclist had been diagnosed with brain death.
»So that we don't misunderstand each other: It's terrible that the cyclist had an accident on the road.
We are dismayed and in mourning, "says the statement of the "Last Generation": "But it is time to draw a line."
The accident happened several kilometers from all the action sites.
“We were on a gantry of signs on the A100.
The police independently regulated the traffic underneath and reduced it to one lane.
We informed the police before entering the gantry and asked for emergency vehicles to be diverted and the A100 to be completely closed to traffic.«
Protest should continue
The activists continue to write: »The media public uses the cyclist’s accident as an instrument.
We can't believe it.
As if a hook had finally been found to drag our peaceful protest through the mud.«
In the past few weeks, the "last generation" has made a name for itself not only with motorway blockades, but also with activities in museums.
Activists from the group recently stuck themselves to a painting by the French impressionist Claude Monet in the Barberini Museum in Potsdam.
Previously, they had smeared the 111 million euro plant with mashed potatoes.
On Wednesday, members of the group sprayed paint on the party headquarters of the SPD, Greens and FDP in Berlin.
At the end of their statement, the "Last Generation" announced that they wanted to continue the protest actions: "Whatever public hate speech we may face as people will not deter us from doing the only morally right thing: not to in an all-important crisis The text does not say whether the group is planning further road blockades.
