Elderly man faces heavy expenses after assaulting eco-protesters.
Being held up in traffic due to demonstrations and missing important engagements can be frustrating. In the autumn of 2023, a retiree from Berlin experienced this firsthand because of a climate protest, prompting him to take matters into his own hands – after all, he injured three individuals. He's now facing sentencing.
A driver from Berlin was fined for assaulting members of the environmental organization Letzte Generation with a can of spray. The 71-year-old senior citizen sprayed these environmental activists in the face at close range, as stated in the Tiergarten district court's reasoning for the sentence. He was charged with 90 daily fines of €30 each for causing severe bodily harm.
This gentleman, who had held various security guards posts before retiring and had served at embassies, including, was on his way to a medical appointment in September 2023, as per his testimony. His journey was disrupted due to the blockade caused by the climate protest on Landsberger Allee in eastern Berlin. According to the indictment, after getting out of his car, he approached the demonstrators and sprayed them with an irritant substance. Three people suffered from mild irritation to their eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.
Cologne as a weapon against the "Terroist Organization"
A video was shown in court as evidence. It showed the accused spraying individuals in orange vests in the face at close range, along with an attempt to kick a person. The pensioner admitted his actions but denied using an irritant gas, claiming it was only cologne. He had been carrying this for years to keep his car fresh.
He defended his actions as self-defense against the "terrorist organization" and said he displayed courage. "I was dismayed that no one else stepped in," he told the court. He also expressed his frustration over his spray bottle running out too quickly.
The court, however, deemed his actions inappropriate. Despite this, it acknowledged a scenario similar to self-defense because the man had been forced to halt his vehicle. Due to the absence of critical injuries, the court deemed this a less serious case.
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Source: www.ntv.de
