Police forces across Germany have searched the homes of climate activists linked to the “Last Generation” movement, which in turn accused prosecutors of attempting to intimidate protesters.
The movement has drawn attention with a myriad of disruptive protest campaigns that included blocking streets and throwing food at museum artworks.
According to several media reports, the house searches were primarily linked to a protest in April this year, in which they sabotaged the operation of a large oil refinery in the region of Brandenburg.
Based on this incident, the competent prosecutor raised charges, including the formation of a criminal organisation and disruption of official business.
Meanwhile, “Last Generation” activists spoke of “attempts at intimidation.” “We stand for what we do with our faces and names – if there is a desire for information, no house search is needed,” the movement said on its official Twitter account.
The police’s approach also drew criticism from climate campaigners outside the radical movement.
“When the fight against climate campaigners is pursued much more vigorously than that against the climate crisis, you can see how climate policy in this country is upside down,” Luisa Neubauer, Germany’s most well-known climate activist and the front woman of the Fridays for Future movement in the country, said on Twitter.
The question of how harsh the police and the justice system should be in their treatment of the “Last Generation” activists has been a topic of much debate in Germany during the past weeks.
(Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
