- Climate activists storm Berlin airport
Climate activists from the group "Last Generation" launched protest actions at several German airports this morning, including Berlin's airport. According to the Brandenburg police, two individuals aged 21 and 22 glued themselves to the airport grounds in the early morning hours and were subsequently released and taken into custody. The airport reported no disruption to flight operations.
Similarly, two activists in orange warning vests each entered the grounds of Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Cologne/Bonn airports.
In Berlin, police are now investigating for damage to the fence, trespassing, and violation of the air security law. Both activists are known to the police for similar offenses. No information on the activists' gender was provided.
Around 5:10 AM, the federal police discovered a hole in the airport fence, but this did not affect flight operations. Shortly after, both glued individuals were found near the northern and southern runways. Around 6:30 AM, they were both removed with the help of the airport fire brigade. The first planes took off on schedule at 6:00 AM.
"The safety of air traffic was always guaranteed," the federal police spokesperson confirmed. The airport spokesperson echoed this, stating that flights were not affected and resumed as scheduled at 6:00 AM. "Everything is running normally," she said.
Initially, the federal police reported that starts and landings were temporarily "set to zero" due to the activists' action. However, they later clarified that there were no impacts on air traffic during the brief period when flights theoretically could not have taken place.
"Last Generation" stated that they are expressing their peaceful resistance by displaying banners with the messages "Oil kills" and "Sign the treaty" without entering the runways.
In the morning, they stated: "8 brave people are currently in police custody for standing up against fossil madness. We refuse to die for the profits of a few." Later in the day, they announced that all participants in the morning's protests had been released.
The airport association ADV called for a tough response to the incidents, describing them as "a coordinated act of criminal extortion." They argued that these are not peaceful protests and urged the German Bundestag to promptly pass the cabinet's decision to tighten the air security law, stating that these are "crimes that must be consistently punished by the justice system."
The federal government aims to deter radical climate activists and other disruptors of hazardous actions at airports through a planned reform. The key aspect is the creation of a new regulation that criminalizes "intentional, unauthorized intrusion" onto areas such as the apron and runways, particularly when it compromises the safety of civil aviation.
The federal police were also alerted to similar incidents at Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Cologne/Bonn airports, involving activists in orange warning vests. Despite these actions, the federal police ensured that the safety of air traffic remained uncompromised, just like in Berlin.
As the federal government intends to toughen the air security law in response to radical climate activists, the federal police will likely play a significant role in enforcing the new regulation against intentional, unauthorized intrusions onto airport grounds.
