Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GERMAN POLICE TODAY carried out raids across seven states targeting climate activists of the “Letzte Generation” (Last Generation) group, which has sparked controversy with its street blockades involving protesters gluing themselves to the asphalt.
The raids were ordered in an investigation targeting seven people aged 22 to 38 over suspicions of “forming or supporting a criminal organisation”, said a joint statement by Bavaria’s police and prosecutors.
Fifteen properties were searched, two accounts seized and an asset freeze ordered.
The suspects are accused of “organising a donations campaign to finance further criminal acts” for the group via its website.
At least €1.4 million had been collected in the campaign, said the authorities, adding that “these funds were according to current information mostly used for the committing of further criminal action of the association”.
The authorities did not specify the “criminal action” it was referring to but said two of the suspects are alleged to have tried to sabotage an oil pipeline between Trieste, Italy, and Ingolstadt, Germany, deemed “critical infrastructure” in Bavaria.
Dozens of climate activists from the group have found themselves before the courts in recent weeks over their traffic blockade actions.
The controversial tactics of Letzte Generation, from hunger strikes to throwing mashed potato on paintings in museums, has resulted in the group being described by some German politicians as “climate terrorists”.
The activists argue however that their protests are vital in the face of inadequate action taken by the government and society in general to protect the environment and prevent catastrophic global warming.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The irony of that photo his jacket, backpack and runners are all oil based.
@brendan C5: So is tar.
@brendan C5: so maybe they want a society where essentials are produced more sustainably?
but no you really caught him out there, you’re so clever.
@brendan C5: That doesn’t make him a hypocrite as you suggest- the fact that our wardrobes are so full of oil and plastics, and materials choices are limited, is actually proof of the problem, and the need for change.
@brendan C5: If you do a bit of research, you will find that the best-known climate activists comes from Germany’s wealthiest families.
@Anonymous User: and? Daniel O Connell, Gandhi… should we ignore all of those who done so much good because they had privileged backgrounds?
@eoin fitzpatrick: No but if they had a job, they’d have less time on their hands to destroy things.
Strange how the political class, media etc., don’t label climate activists as Far Right like the do with every other movement that’s not part of their agenda. “Almost” like they are using them for their agenda
@Cian O’Mahony: That would be because climate activists are generally left wing and/or far left.
“Far right” is not a label conferred by the media for no reason, it is based on a political outlook which is characterised by having ethno-nationalist “patriotic” views and opposition to progressive causes such as gender rights, climate concerns etc. Bonus far right points for claiming that COVID was a scam, that vaccines cause more harm than good, and that opposition to racism is merely a front for eradicating free speech.
Before you ask, yes I am indeed “funded by Soros”, and I must say I really enjoy spending my digital cash tracking chip within the safespace of my 15 minute city.
@Kevin Collins:
:)
Where do I apply?
@Kevin Collins: you made my day, great post
@Kevin Collins: Technically this isn’t all correct. The ” opposition to progressive causes…” thing is the instance of the myth that facism always requires to bind people together according to Mussolini. For Hitler it was the Jews. For Mussolini it was something like ancient Rome. There was nothing called progressive causes with a capital P in their day. The myth could just as easily be the woke arguments. The aim is to create an idea that binds people to a nationality, which of course is just a madey uppy thing as well, like race.
Arresting people for forewarning civilisation of its impending doom. That’s modern logic. We can plan for more coal and importation of rainforest wood pulp instead.
@Ollie O’Cleirigh: There’s nothing civilised about some of the actions their taking.
@Liz O’Neill: The choice is to endure some uncivilised actions now (and act on their goals), or endure a complete breakdown of civilised society in the future. People will look back someday at protests like this (hopefully in a liveable world) and view them the in same way that we now look back at the women’s suffrage movement over a century ago, and understand which side was right in the long-term.
@Liz O’Neill:
Yes Lizz, everyone causing a traffic chaos should be imprisoned, his wealth be confiscated and his organisations be criminalised.
Our streets would be car free.
@Ollie O’Cleirigh: They did it to ordinary civilians. This was an attack on ordinary people. That is as close to the definition of terrorism as need be. You can’t support that possibly? How many old folks and children could have been affected? Hospitals? Emergency services? These people would do a better job becoming politicians and working the system.
As shown yesterday on German public TV ZDF most of the money comes from two “US-Think Tanks” which use EU/German tax breaks to generate the money to influence politics in a non-democratically way:
zdf.de/comedy/die-anstalt/die-anstalt-vom-23-mai-2023-100.html
If raids were done on all think tanks financed by the super rich the climate catastrophe would not exist, there would be peace in Ukraine and the super rich would be dangling from lamp poles.
German police want to nip in the bud a potential terrorist movement. They have a history of radicalism spiralling out of control quickly at times…
Yes, indeed.
The Gestapo,the Stasi,the BND …
@Juri Hertel: The Gestapo, which started as the secret service of a radical movement called nazism, and the other 2 were the secret services of Germany’s 2 halves caused by cold war politics.
And thats is why they stop radical in Germany, so the past will not be revisuted
@Joe x: You are joking?
The BND is running radical fascist organisations, supporting them with weapons,money,fake identities.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Underground
@Juri Hertel:
Oh yes, the war – and there is nothing more radical than a war – in Sudan is organised by the BND as well:
euobserver.com/eu-political/137987
www1.wdr.de/daserste/monitor/sendungen/waffen-an-unrechtsregime-bnd-100.html
programm.ard.de/TV/Programm/Jetzt-im-TV/?sendung=287213369194219
@Sebastian Manka: That is the most benign interpretation of their actions.
If they were using anti terrorist legislation that might have some validity, meaning they had met the criteria of terrorism through their actions or intentions.
However, the legislation being used was enacted to prevent any protest to which the state objects and it has been used to freeze their assets too, now I personally don’t agree with the often childish actions of these facebook environmentalists, but it is being used and its purpose is to crush any and all protest now and in the future.
Realistically, the likelihood is that this blanket ban on protesting in general will create much more radical groups in the future, because only the most radical will risk the sanctions for protesting.
This anti protesting legislation has been introduced all across Europe and that isn’t by coincidence. But that’s probably something that a state sponsored fact check would determine to be misinformation, disinformation or a conspiracy theory..
@Juri Hertel: no, I am not joking. I am telling you how each organisation came about which in turn is why the Germans currently crack down so hard on an form of trouble makers.
Genuine question, how come we don’t see these climate activists protesting in the countries where the real pollution takes place or do they only pick the soft targets where they know they won’t end up in jail for 20 years?
@Abdul Abhaile: Why would you want any protester jailed for 2 decades? They didn’t do damage on that scale and it can certainly be fixed in less than a year. Heck, I’m no activist but I don’t approve of anyone being framed in their own home for owning a tube of superglue or a poster.
I’m anti people gluing themselves to roads etc, but I feel this might be a little extreme…
@Madra: Agree with you. At least call them “political vandals” rather than “terrorists”. I’m old enough to remember the bomb scares in town. If anyone threw a mashed potato or an egg at a painting, missed & got someone’s clothes instead, that’s not going to maim anybody nor ruin anyone’s life. It’s only messy.
People are dreaming. There will be no change unless human activity is drastically reduced. It’s that simple !
Which of course means economic disaster and all that goes with it
@offside again: there’s lots of things which could be done right now to mitigate this situation without damaging the economy, if anything it could improve it, but unfortunately it seems there’s easier was to make money and after all its money that talks.
Good.
People have been screaming about the end of the world forever. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. These guys will be lucky to be right during their lifetimes.
have your say