The last generation in Austria is dissolving
Protests by the Last Generation are as controversial as they are attention-grabbing: Activists glue themselves to streets and airports, disrupt shareholder meetings and theater performances. But in Austria, that's now over - at least for now.
The Last Generation is ending its protests - at least in Austria. In a statement, the movement announced the end of its controversial actions, such as gluing themselves to streets. "As of today, we are ending our protests and 'Last Generation Austria'," the movement wrote in a statement. "We no longer see a perspective for success. (...) We acknowledge that Austria wants to continue in fossil ignorance and thus accepts being complicit in the deaths of billions of people. Society has failed. This makes us infinitely sad."
The movement plans to use its remaining funds to cover the costs of ongoing legal proceedings against its members. "Our donation channels remain open because there are still high fines and high legal costs pending," the statement said. "We are filled with gratitude and awe for all the brave people who have protested with 'Last Generation Austria'."
At the same time, the movement is announcing further resistance in new forms and under different names. "We are making room for something new to emerge. We have politicized more people than ever before and planted seeds for a peaceful uprising," it said. "We are no longer the only ones who are no longer willing to tolerate the crimes of the government. People will continue to organize and rebel against the destructive system."
German activists continue
Last Generation Austria has been making headlines since early 2022 with numerous actions. Like in Germany, the controversial climate activists have glued themselves to streets, disrupted shareholder meetings, interrupted music concerts and theater performances, and most recently participated in protests at European airports.
Unlike in Austria, there are no plans to end the protests in Germany - in fact, a spokesperson for Last Generation, Marion Fabian, said the opposite. She announced further actions at airports against climate-damaging air traffic. In recent weeks, Last Generation has temporarily shut down flight operations at Frankfurt Airport, Cologne/Bonn Airport, and Leipzig Airport.
The Commission may need to address the ongoing protests in Germany, as the Last Generation movement has no intentions of stopping their actions. Despite the end of protests in Austria, Last Generation Germany continues to disrupt airports and advocate against climate-damaging air traffic.
