Climate activists block streets in Berlin again

Climate activists from the "Last Generation" initiative have once again blocked several motorway exits in Berlin in protest against the federal government's environmental policy. A total of six driveways on the A100 and the A114 were affected, the Berlin police said on Monday on request. Several people stuck to the asphalt. According to the Berlin traffic information center, long traffic jams formed as a result of the protests.

The last generation initiative announced last week that the protests would continue until the government "come to reason". More and more people are already suffering from the consequences of climate change. Nevertheless, the federal government does not implement "simple security measures" such as a speed limit on motorways.

The "Last Generation" is a nationwide association of climate activists who are trying to get the government to act against the climate crisis with various campaigns. The movement had its origins in a hunger strike that took place before the 2021 federal elections to reach a meeting with the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). According to their own statements, more than 250 people between the ages of twelve and 76 are now active members.

Since the beginning of the year, members of the "Last Generation" have repeatedly blocked roads and freeway accesses by sticking themselves to the tarmac or turning off oil pipelines to draw attention to the climate catastrophe.

Just over the weekend, two climate activists stuck themselves to a Picasso painting in Melbourne. The two taped their hands to the acrylic sheet covering the anti-war painting Massacre in Korea at the Victoria National Gallery, police said on Sunday.

According to police, it took around an hour to separate the two activists - a 49-year-old woman from New South Wales and a 59-year-old man from Melbourne - from the picture. Together with the third activist they were temporarily arrested. The gallery emphasized that the work remained intact during the action.