Status: 12.08.2023, 12:18 p.m.
By: Victoria Krumbeck
CommentsShare
On Friday, the ships on the Rhine were at a standstill. Climate activists rappelled down from a bridge and blocked the river for many hours.
Basel — Climate activists such as the group "Last Generation" are known for expressing their protest by sticking them on streets. What works on land also works in a different way on the water. Climate activists had paralyzed shipping traffic on the Rhine for hours on Friday (11 August). Five activists abseiled from a bridge in the center of Basel in the morning. They wanted to protest against the transport of fuel on the Rhine.
Climate activists block the Rhine — Hours of closure
Four of the climate activists were arrested. They were "three adults and a teenager between the ages of 17 and 26, of German and Swiss nationality," the Swiss police said on Friday. The action took place on the Dreirosenbrücke. There they unfurled banners and got stuck in the air above the water, as the police announced and journalists of the AFP news agency reported. On Twitter, the activist group shared footage showing the hanging protest.
It was not until around 14:00 p.m. that the climate activists ended their action, as they announced on Twitter. The police left the activists hanging there, watched them and argued with them. Shipping traffic near Basel was "suspended until further notice" from the morning. The most important concern is that no one is harmed, said a spokesman for the cantonal police of the AFP. About a dozen ships were affected by the blockade.
Climate activists block Rhine: impact on shipping
A total of about ten people were involved in the action on the Rhine, according to the police. Members of the group unfurled two banners with the inscription "Freedom of movement for people instead of oil tankers" and with a stop signal. The climate activists announced that many people had expressed their solidarity.
Climate activists rappelled down from a bridge over the Rhine in the center of Basel. © Screenshot Twitter/@BaselBlock
The action had no impact on shipping on the German side, as a spokeswoman for the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping in Bonn said. Sailing on the Rhine was therefore possible as far as the first Swiss port in Basel-Kleinhüningen.
0
Also Read
Two euros for an empty plate in the restaurant: Italy foams with anger – son of the cook reacts to allegations
READ
"Never again Croatia": Couple needs about 20 hours home from vacation
READ
German kills British millionaire's daughter in Swiss posh hotel – autopsy refutes strangulation statement
READ
Misfortune in Tyrol: Chair detaches from cable car – Bavarian holidaymaker falls into the depths
READ
Shame from K2: Himalayan mountaineer makes fatal equipment public – expert thought rescue was possible
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
Switzerland has a special role to play when it comes to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is based in Geneva. The IPCC report is one of the most important climate publications. (vk/afp)