"Not democratic": Buschmann condemns climate activists - but criticizes Bavaria's "preventive detention"

Created: 11/21/2022 11:29 am

Marco Buschmann visiting Anne Will on November 20th, 2022.

© Wolfgang Borrs/NDR

Actions by climate protectors cause discussion.

At Anne Will, Minister of Justice Buschmann discussed with "Last Generation" activist Carla Hinrichs.

Munich - The activists of the "last generation" want to use criminal offenses in politics to put pressure on more changes in climate protection.

In the "Anne Will" talk in the first, this behavior is hotly debated.

Emotions run high in the last few minutes.

Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann and

journalist Petra Pinzler fight each other.

Neither of them wants to let the other have their say.

Moderator Will looks for help to the screen on which Tagesthemen colleague Caren Miosga has already appeared and calls out to her: "Caren, help me!" Will finally silences the two opponents in the debate, comments dryly: "We understood that: That there is a lot of talking about each other here!”

In contrast, Bavaria's Minister of State for the Interior, Joachim Herrmann from the CSU, cannot help but smile at the dispute.

It seems as if a certain tension is falling from him: A few minutes earlier, Herrmann was in the line of fire and had to justify Bavaria's allegedly long blocking attitude in terms of climate policy, the expansion of renewable energy and dealing with climate activists.

"Anne Will" - these guests discussed with:

• Marco Buschmann (FDP) -

  Federal Minister of Justice

• Katrin Göring-Eckardt

  - (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) - Vice President of the Bundestag

• Joachim Herrmann (CSU) -

  Bavarian State Minister of the Interior, for Sport and Integration

• Carla Hinrichs -

  Spokesperson for the Last Generation group

• Petra Pinzler -

  Correspondent in the capital city office

  Die Zeit

The obviously stirring topic of the political talk in the first is: "Blocking roads, attacking art - do these actions help in the fight for the climate?".

The focus is on the actions of the climate protection activist group "Last Generation".

To further the reduction of CO2 gases, members of this group throw mush and paint at works of art and tape them to museum walls, bridge railings and the pavement.

Arrests and charges have already followed for dozens of activists.

Above all, the group has two concrete demands on the German government: the reintroduction of the nine-euro ticket and 100 km/h on the autobahn.

The FDP in particular positions itself against both.

Activist spokeswoman Carla Hinrichs, against whom several proceedings are currently pending, justifies the actions with the urgency of the situation: "The time window is closing," she calls out agonizingly and warns that a "disaster" is currently rushing in.

The actions are a "moral obligation", according to Hinrichs and from the point of view of her comrades-in-arms within the framework of "peaceful resistance".

"We simply have no other choice, it's an act of desperation," says the law student, who reports that she is afraid "of bringing children into the world that I can no longer feed."

Bushman has no sympathy for roadblocks: government blackmail

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann cannot understand the group's actions.

His point of view is clear: "The end doesn't justify the means," he explains to the activist in an instructive tone.

“We live in a democracy.

You don't go out there and enforce your own concerns against the law and order".

And finds that "blackmailing" the government and parliaments is not democratic "by threatening further crimes if one's own conditions are not met".

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Hinrichs counters her group's breaches of the law with those responsible for politics: "Our government is currently breaking our Basic Law," says Hinrichs in general terms, referring to a court decision from 2021 as a result of constitutional complaints by several climate protection activists, which called on the then federal government to improve the climate protection law would have.

The protection of the freedom rights of younger generations was criticized.

Above all, the non-compliance with the 1.5 degree target was criticized at the time.

Buschmann does not accept that.

"Nobody is breaking the Basic Law here," he says categorically, stating: "We are probably the most committed federal government in the history of this country for the issue of climate protection!" Buschmann refers to the climate and transformation fund for 170 billion euros, which the traffic light brought through have and announces 36 billion for climate protection and the conversion of the energy infrastructure for the coming year.

"It is not the federal government that is slowing down," says the Minister of Justice.

But he does not have the approval of the group.

For Göring-Eckardt, politics is not radical enough, but "Last Generation" is too radical

Göring-Eckardt, on the other hand, calls for a policy that must be “extremely radical”.

However, she rejects the radicalism of the "Last Generation" activists: "I think it does more harm than good to the cause," said the Green politician.

Mainly because the discussion about it takes too much time.

Göring-Eckardt also criticizes the 30-day preventive detention imposed on climate activists in Bavaria.

Buschmann also comments critically on the judge's decision and raises doubts about its proportionality.

State Secretary Herrmann justifies the court's verdict because the people taken into custody had used their first release to carry out road blockades again and wanted to continue this.

Herrmann also calls the situation a “challenge for the rule of law”.

Also because those affected refused to lodge an "appeal" and "let them be stylized into martyrs," the Christian Socialist finds.

Conclusion of the "Anne Will" talk

The show showed where the rifts run when it comes to climate protection: On the one hand, between young and old, who assess things with different levels of concern.

While some want to secure the long-term future, others look to the solutions of the present.

The same is true for those who benefit from wealth and those who care less about status and prestige.

The show did not offer a solution.

On the contrary: in the end, the positions seemed hardened.