‘Will remain unignorable’: German climate activists abandon street blockades

German climate activist group ‘Last Generation’ will stop glueing themselves to the streets as their primary form of protest, instead opting for bigger events and more targeted interference.

The activists, famous for using superglue to block streets, known as “Klima-Kleber” to the German-speaking press, sparked similar protests in neighbouring Austria.

Now, the group known is abandoning its trademark practice. “From now on, we will protest in a different form – but it will remain unignorable,” said the group in a statement on 29 January.

Starting in March, the group will move from “splitting up into small groups and blockading the streets” to convening “disobedient assemblies together with many people.”

They will target “sites of fossil destruction” like oil pipelines, airports and energy supplier RWE, which operates some German coal power plants.

This form of protest could prove costly as Hamburg airport, which the activists disrupted in July 2023, is suing them for €550,000 – damages inflicted when the group cut through fencing to get onto the airstrip and missed income due to diverted flights.

In addition, airline Eurowings is suing the group for €740,000 in damages, the company announced in December.

Other plans include more heckling. “We will publicly confront politicians and other decision-makers in front of the cameras,” the activists said.

In the near future, the climate activists plan to appeal to the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “We will call on him to speak publicly and honestly about climate destruction and the need to change course,” they said.

Austria's 'sticky' climate activists draw ire of leaders as 57 arrested

Leading politicians have sharply criticised the Last Generation climate action group for their large-scale protest on Austrian motorways, which resulted in 57 arrests.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]