BER Blockade: Political Reactions to the Recent Provocation of the "climate activists"

On Thursday afternoon, activists from the “Last Generation” climate movement illegally gained access to the cordoned-off area of ​​the airport Berlin-Brandenburg (BER). To do this, they cut through the fence on the edge of the runway, which was still being used at the time. The following video is from the group’s official Twitter channel:

The activists announced in mid-November that airports could also be future locations for their protest actions. A published pamphlet states:

“In order to implement the first security measures against climate collapse (…) we are considering shutting down airports peacefully.”

After yesterday’s incident in Berlin, the sympathy of federal politicians, which has been mostly benevolent, is limited this time. FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai told the media: “Protest actions of this kind are completely illegitimate and can no longer be simply accepted.” The Berlin FDP boss Sebastian Czaja called the activists according to the news agency dpa as “climate criminals”.

On the other hand, the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang (CDU), does not want to recognize criminal energies in the activities of the movement. As part of the “Democracy Forum in Hambach Castle” series of talks on November 16, the chief intelligence officer explained his view of the “last generation”. The transmitter RBB24 summarizes:

“He currently does not recognize ‘that this group is directed against the free democratic basic order, and in this respect it is not an object of observation for the protection of the constitution’. Committing criminal offenses does not make the ‘last generation’ extremist. It is always extremist when the state , the society, the free democratic basic order is called into question, and that’s exactly what people don’t actually do.”

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) designated the BER activists, on the other hand, as “criminals” and stated:

“Blocking BER Airport is a renewed escalation & absolutely unacceptable.”

AfD party and faction leader Tino Chrupalla calls on the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to take action in the case of the “last generation” and emphasizes: “Securing critical infrastructure must have top priority.” Berlin Airport temporarily stopped operations on both runways on Thursday evening because the activists had entered the airport premises in two places. According to the first information, five starts had to be canceled because of the action, according to the airport, 750 passengers were affected. Ina Scharrenbach, North Rhine-Westphalian Minister for Homeland, Municipal Affairs, Construction and Digitization, tweeted angry:

“Dear fellow building ministers, I would have liked to have discussed with you this evening how we can further strengthen sustainable building. The plane had to turn around because these full pf… stick to BER! I’m trying to get through to the building ministers’ conference in Berlin.”

The Berlin Greens state chairwoman Susanne Mertens stated that such protests “must exclude the endangerment of other people”. She sees the need that “BER obviously has to revise its security concepts”. Konstantin von Notz, Vice-President of the Greens in the Bundestag, found the action “counterproductive, presumptuous and potentially dangerous”. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) remarked: “Society cannot accept such behavior.” Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) made it clear: “I stand by it: anyone who intentionally puts others in danger for their world view is not an activist, but a criminal!”

Only left boss Martin Schirdewan defended the “Last Generation”. Such forms of protest would “put a finger on the wound of political inaction in the face of the climate catastrophe,” citing the party’s press office.

A spokesman for the federal police said in the ARD daily topicsthat it was “clearly” a matter of property damage and trespassing. There is also the possibility that “a dangerous intervention in air traffic” has taken place. However, according to an article in the World “Shortly before entering the airport premises, according to their own statements, the police were informed about their plans by an emergency call”.

In a contribution by the Berlin broadcaster RBB24 from November 15 entitled “Blocking, sticking, smearing – How far can climate protection protest go?” it was said that at least in the case of sticking actions in the streets of Berlin, informed civilian police officers were on site and also protected activists from possible attacks by citizens:

The Brandenburg police spokesman Mario Heinemann announced on Friday that the Brandenburg State Criminal Police Office has now taken over the investigation. “It is investigating six climate activists for dangerous interference in air traffic, disruption of public services, trespassing and property damage, among other things,” Heinemann said in a statement.

more on the subject – “Last generation”: climate of fear (disorder)

Source: RT