Investigations: Raid against climate protectors – last generation continues

In the early morning, dozens of police officers stormed apartments and business premises in seven federal states. The aim of the raids: to secure evidence for a criminal prosecution of the climate protection group Last Generation. We are looking for membership lists and donations in the millions. Berlin-Kreuzberg is also among the 15 addresses. Officials break into the apartment of the nationwide known activist Carla Hinrichs. The 26-year-old is woken up by her loud calls, as she describes on Twitter. “And suddenly a police officer in a bulletproof vest stands in front of your bed and points a gun at you.” In a shaky voice, she adds: “You’re trying to scare me.” The police do not want to say anything about the course of events and speak of a peaceful operation.

The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for the action. She investigates the suspicion that the “climate stickers”, who disturb traffic with their protests almost every day, form a criminal organization.

Legal escalation

With the spectacular operation, the political struggle for more climate protection is now escalating on a legal level. He is accompanied by a tough mud fight in the traffic light coalition over their heating law and many, many disturbing reports about the fatal consequences of global warming: More floods like now in Italy, long droughts this winter in France, or devastating forest fires like recently in Canada . And the extremes are just the beginning, as climate researchers warn unanimously.

The police operation raises questions – above all, whether the allegation that the activists belong to a criminal organization can be justified. Probably not, say many experts. Because only if one dismisses the group’s declared climate-political motives as pretentious could their illegal actions – such as coercion – be reinterpreted as the actual main purpose of the group. “I don’t see any evidence for that,” writes protest researcher Dieter Rucht in the “Tagesspiegel”. The criminal law expert Inga Schuchmann from the Humboldt University points out in the paper that proportionality must be maintained: the roadblocks are annoying for some, but not a significant threat to public safety.

The co-leader of the Green Youth, Timon Dzienus, is clearer on Twitter and draws a controversial comparison: “600 neo-Nazis who are wanted on an arrest warrant are walking around freely in Germany. Reich citizens and conspiracy ideologues commit murders, attacks and design coup plans. And the police are investigating a few climate activists with superglue.”

But it’s not just about sticking it on streets and picture frames in museums, as the Munich investigators said. Two of the seven suspects aged between 22 and 38 are said to have tried to sabotage the Trieste-Ingolstadt oil pipeline in April 2022. LKA spokesman Ludwig Waldinger said this is the central pipeline that supplies Bavaria with oil. “This has been addressed, has been damaged.” The suppliers would have had to interrupt the oil supply for several hours. Five of the accused are being investigated for forming a criminal organization and two for support.

First raid already in December

Only in the middle of the month did the Potsdam Regional Court confirm the initial suspicion of the public prosecutor in Neuruppin that the group could be a criminal organization. Background here too: an attack on an oil plant, specifically the refinery PCK Schwedt. Among other things, the oil supply was interrupted there. As early as mid-December, the police and public prosecutors had searched eleven apartments and rooms belonging to members of the last generation in at least six federal states.

The actions of the judiciary are accompanied by mostly uncomprehending comments from politicians. This week Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was also extremely critical of his circumstances – and called the sticking actions “completely crazy”. The activists’ response was prompt: the SPD headquarters were daubed with paint to “remind the chancellor of his responsibility” and to brand his “anti-social and unconstitutional policies,” as it was said. On Wednesday, the group followed suit and declared that the Scholz government was leading society “into a climate hell”.

Habeck is also critical of the forms of protest

Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also currently being criticized for his heating plans, is also critical of the group’s forms of protest because they are unable to create a political majority for the fight against global warming. But he also said at the end of April that the seriousness and courage of the activists impressed him more than the great indifference of many others.

In fact, the last generation has at least managed to put the deficits of German climate policy on the agenda – namely the immense climate-damaging emissions from car traffic. Almost 49 million passenger cars are on the roads in Germany, most of them with combustion engines. The two main demands of the group also affect this sector, for which Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is responsible: a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways and a permanent 9-euro ticket for public transport are required.

Classification by a protest researcher

According to the Berlin protest researcher Vincent August, it is difficult to derive extremist or radical ideas from these fairly moderate demands. The last generation is far removed from methods such as murders and kidnappings, as known from other groups in history, he said on rbb Inforadio.

The activists themselves also vehemently contradicted the accusation of being a criminal organization at a press conference at noon. “We stand up for our protest with our names and faces. We announce what we plan to do. We hold talks with politicians, with the police, with church leaders. What’s criminal about that?” They asked. Public prosecutors from all over Germany have already made it clear that they consider the accusation of a criminal organization to be absurd.

The group called on their supporters to demonstrate their solidarity with protest marches next Wednesday – the first demos are expected to take place this week in Berlin, Leipzig and Munich.