Spokeswoman for the Last Generation receives suspended sentence
Carla Hinrichs will have to stand trial as early as 2023. The verdict: a suspended prison sentence of two months. The Last Generation spokeswoman appeals - without success. According to the judge, the 26-year-old has tripped herself up with her social media posts.
Carla Hinrichs, spokesperson for the Last Generation climate group, has been sentenced to two months' probation in an appeal trial at Frankfurt District Court. "She has it in her own hands whether or not she goes back to prison at some point," said presiding judge Jochen Kirschbaum after around seven hours of hearing. Her appeal was rejected and the original sentence from last year was handed down again. The public prosecutor's office demanded a fine of 80 daily rates of 10 euros. The verdict is not yet final.
The appeal proceedings concerned a conviction against Hinrich from 2023. The 26-year-old is said to have blocked a Frankfurt street in 2022 and taped herself up during the protest. The blockade resulted in a major traffic jam. The activist was issued with a penalty order for 60 daily rates of 30 euros each. She lodged an appeal against this. The district court in Frankfurt am Main finally sentenced her to two months in prison on probation in May last year. After the verdict, the young woman appealed.
Hinrichs, partly in tears during the trial on Wednesday, described how she had grown up climate-conscious. "I am convinced that I did the right thing," she said in relation to the blockade in 2022. With the announcements on social media and further blockade action, she might have given herself a leg up, Kirschbaum told the defendant. "It's one thing to walk out of court as a young person and be angry and make spontaneous posts." It is another to seek media publicity and announce new protest actions several days after a conviction and ignore verdicts.
Hinrichs stated that he would probably accept the original fine today instead of taking the risk of a previous conviction. She would consider further Last Generations blockade actions. Hinrichs also posted on X in the run-up to the trial: "On my way to Frankfurt. Tomorrow I'm standing in front of the district court. 2023 was the hottest year since weather records began. 2024 begins with the prosecution of those who peacefully protest against further warming."
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Source: www.ntv.de
