For some motorists nothing worked on the A100 on Monday morning Photo: dpa
By Anne Losensky
It was stuck on the Berlin city freeway, blocking rush-hour traffic for almost an hour and a half in the morning. Guilty in the name of the people, that is coercion – the Tiergarten district court has now ruled. As a punishment, there are only three counseling sessions!
On January 31, high school graduate Lisa R. (20) blocked the 100 Autobahn at the Beusselstraße exit with ten comrades-in-arms of “uprising of the last generation” from 8:09 a.m. Her hand stuck to the asphalt. The backlog only cleared at 9:29 a.m.
In court, the student demands acquittal. Her defense attorney quotes from another decision by the Tiergarten district court, which recently rejected the opening of similar proceedings: “Every political demonstration is annoying, but essential for the rule of law.”
But the judge convicted the student. The traffic jam stretched for kilometers at the time, and a four-digit number of vehicles were affected, according to the judge: “It’s presumptuous to disregard everyone else’s freedom of choice … In a way, you go against the majority. But you have to take people with you, not antagonize them, if you want to achieve something.”
However, their motives could be taken into account when determining the amount of the penalty. Because in juvenile criminal law the educational idea is in the foreground, the student should go to the counseling sessions.
The judge: “Maybe you can find a way for civil disobedience on legal ground.” If she doesn’t take notice, she faces four weeks of permanent arrest.
The public prosecutor’s office had requested a fine of 450 euros for coercion (30 daily rates of 15 euros each).