"Bad and harmful" - Habeck reprimands blockades of the "last generation"

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has sharply criticized actions by climate activists who stick to the streets or damage works of art. He sees no reason to tighten the sentence, as the Union demands. But "for the cause", i.e. the planned conversion of the industrial country Germany to climate neutrality, the actions are "bad and harmful".

The energy transition is a “huge project”. In order to achieve this, politics is dependent on “broad social support”. Not everyone has to agree on every point and in every chasing, debates about the wind farm here or the power line there are right and important. "But if we really want to achieve great things under great time pressure, then we need a social consensus that this project is wanted and supported," said Habeck during a visit to Baden-Württemberg. "Breaking up this consensus is of no use to the project."

In addition, the higher purpose of climate protection is always the protection of freedom, life and limb. "We don't protect the climate itself, but a decent life on earth, which includes health and integrity." Therefore, protest actions should under no circumstances endanger others or one's own life. "That hurts the cause."

At the same time, Habeck also criticized CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt, who had spoken of a "climate RAF": There is also a responsibility in language. The Red Army faction, which killed more than 30 people as a terrorist group, made the murder a political tool. The disruptive actions of the climate activists are not comparable with this, but rather to be classified in the spectrum of civil disobedience - even if they exceeded it. "I don't think what's happening in many places is right. But such harsh comparisons are not appropriate. Things should be looked at in a differentiated way.”

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann also criticized the actions, without seeing a need to increase the punishment. The category of "civil disobedience" no longer applies: "The core of civil disobedience is that the symbolic actions must not question the legal system as a whole."

"If you convince people that we are on the 'Highway to Hell', you shouldn't be surprised if they do such actions," says WELT editor Stefan Aust about the protests of the "Last Generation". In his opinion, however, there is no need to tighten up criminal law.

Source: WORLD

This obviously does not apply to some of the current campaigns. "The end does not justify the means," says Kretschmann. People should also be held accountable for violations. But it is necessary to stay in touch - not least to dissuade them from further crimes. "What they do harms the cause and does not benefit it."

Climate activists in particular have always criticized governments for not sticking to agreements made at the Paris climate conference, for example. It is nonsensical to want to achieve something by breaking social or legal rules of all things.

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