First it hits the Brandenburg Gate, then the World Clock. Climate activists have also defaced Berlin landmarks in their protest. Now a court has ruled that the activists must pay.
After a paint attack on the world clock at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, four climate activists were sentenced to fines. The Tiergarten District Court found the 22- to 28-year-olds guilty of malicious damage to property. The sentence was thus well below the prosecutor’s request. The prosecutor had demanded suspended sentences of six months for the members of the Last Generation and a prison sentence of nine months for a 24-year-old.
The defendants were prepared to commit crimes to achieve their goals, said Judge Anke Ploner. But the crimes did not fall into the category of serious crimes, she explained her verdict. The defaced monument was cleaned up after two days. According to the verdict, the climate activists must each pay fines – 600 euros (120 daily rates of 5 euros each) were imposed on a 23-year-old, 1,800 euros (180 at 10 euros each) was given to the 24-year-old, and two women, aged 22 and 28, were each sentenced to 2,100 euros (140 at 15 euros each).
Admitted involvement in paint attack
The members of the climate group had admitted in court that they had sprayed orange paint on the landmark on October 17, 2023, using spray cans and prepared fire extinguishers. They said it was a “peaceful, civil protest.”
The indictment said that they wanted to achieve the “greatest possible public attention” through the vandalism. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the paint could only be removed using high-pressure water technology. According to the indictment, the cost of repairing the well-known tourist attraction would have been at least around 16,000 euros. During the trial, an agreement was reached on a damages amount of 9,673 euros.
Activist involved in disruptive action at the airport
One of the defendants was 24-year-old Lilli Gomez. On Wednesday, she said she took part in a disruptive action at Cologne/Bonn Airport that brought operations there to a standstill for about three hours. “I will also take part in protests in the coming weeks. At airports again,” the 24-year-old told the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the trial. In the morning, operations at Frankfurt Airport were brought to a standstill for hours when climate protesters stuck stickers on the runways.
The student says she has a number of previous convictions and is expecting further proceedings. In the current case, the public prosecutor wanted her to be imprisoned for nine months. Her defense attorney had called for an acquittal. The verdict is not final.
Source: Stern
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