Environmental policy - Police: 550 disruptive actions by climate activists in 2023
Almost two years of protest and blockade actions by climate protection demonstrators in Berlin have so far led to a total of 6130 criminal charges being filed with the police. The number increased significantly again in 2023 compared to the previous year. "We have dealt with 550 actions, which is 80 percent more than in the previous year," Police Commissioner Barbara Slowik told the German Press Agency. The large total number of reports, which mainly concerned the Last Generation group, also included 138 people who took action against the demonstrators, for example drivers who were verbally or physically abusive and dragged blockaders off the road.
Slowik continued: "The quality of the protests has not changed. There are still allegations of coercion, resistance to police forces and damage to property." The total number of suspects is 1158, many of whom have been active several times.
"Recently, the tactics have changed: from many small blockades to a few larger actions, so-called mass protests," said the police chief. On October 28, for example, 600 demonstrators took part in a protest and 154 of them stuck to the streets. The Last Generation was also partly supported by foreign groups, for example from the Netherlands. "Recently, the actions have become fewer, but it is difficult for us to say whether this is due to the winter or a long-term development, because fewer supporters can now be mobilized."
The police have been massively overloaded by the street blockades and other actions, with a total of 320,000 working hours on the streets last year - and that doesn't include the processing of reports by the police officers, said Slowik. "By way of comparison, that's as much as the 1,800 police officers in the Berlin task force were on the road in 2022 in the area of road safety."
With regard to disruptive actions such as the spraying of landmarks, Slowik said: "We have to remain realistic. Complete protection of monuments such as the Brandenburg Gate around the clock is not possible given the number of people in our city." Several dozen police officers would be needed around the clock for the Brandenburg Gate alone.
It would be more effective to stop the inflow of money to groups like the Last Generation, said Slowik. The groups used donations and other income to pay for the living expenses of activists as well as fines and claims for damages. In order to stop the financial flows, "the Last Generation would have to be legally assessed as a criminal organization by the public prosecutor's office," Slowik emphasized. "Quick decisions by courts on high claims for damages, for example from airlines or shopping centers after damage, would also help and limit the group's options for action."
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Source: www.stern.de
