From BZ/dpa
The head of the CSU deputy in the Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt, calls for tougher penalties for the climate activists of the “last generation”.
“Climate protest must not be a license to commit crimes,” he told BILD on Sunday. “We need much tougher penalties for climate chaos in order to counteract further radicalization in parts of this climate movement and to deter imitators. The emergence of a climate RAF must be prevented.” Dobrindt was referring to the Red Army Faction (RAF). For decades, the RAF were considered the epitome of terror and murder in the Federal Republic. More than 30 people fell victim to left-wing terrorists between the 1970s and the early 1990s.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Wednesday distanced himself from the term “terrorism” for actions by climate activists. Graffiti is a misdemeanor, but Hebestreit said he did not want to advocate the term terrorism. He had been asked if “Last Generation” actions were slowly descending into a form of terrorism.
According to BILD am Sonntag, the Union faction in the Bundestag wants to introduce a motion for tougher penalties for climate activists who block roads or obstruct the passage of the police, fire brigade and rescue services.
In Berlin, a cyclist was hit and run over by a truck last Monday. According to the fire brigade, a special vehicle that was supposed to help free the injured person under the truck was stuck in a traffic jam on the city highway. This is said to have been triggered by an action by the climate protest group “Last Generation”. However, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported, citing an emergency memo, that according to the emergency doctor treating it, the fact that the car was not available had no effect on the rescue of the injured woman. According to the police and the public prosecutor’s office, the cyclist died on Thursday from her serious injuries.
Berlin’s governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) told BILD on Sunday when asked how long politicians would allow climate activists: “We’re taking action. There are more than 700 criminal proceedings against climate activists in Berlin, only one of which has been discontinued so far. More than 240 penal orders have already been issued.” Referring to the cyclist who has since died, she said the “terrible event” must be a wake-up call for all those who speak of peaceful protests. “Critical protest is part of democracy, but it definitely crosses any line when it endangers human life.”