Again, activists from “Save Food, Save Lives” blocked access roads to the city highway. The climate apocalypticists brought rush hour traffic on Tempelhofer Damm, Alboinstraße, Schöneberger Straße and Sachsendamm (Tempelhof) to a standstill on Tuesday morning.
by Ole Kröning, Jörg Bergmann and Stefan Peter
Nothing worked anymore on the A 100 between Britzer Tunnel and Innsbrucker Platz. Again, some of them glued themselves to the asphalt with superglue! And again the motorists were boiling with anger.
The police arrested 13 blockers. Some had to be removed from the asphalt by the officers using thinner, sunflower oil and a brush. There were reports of dangerous interference in road traffic, coercion, violations of the assembly law and resistance to law enforcement officers.
The self-proclaimed climate protectors reject accusations that they would obstruct ambulances and the fire brigade with their sit-ins.
“In all actions, we have always organized it so that cars can get through in emergencies,” said one of the activists to the BZ. He was also taken off the street on Tuesday.
On the way to the detention center, the blockers sent handcuffed selfies to their followers. The tweet reads: “Handcuffs for wanting to save our food.”
The activists (who come from all over Germany) are demanding a “food saving law” from the federal government. Until the end of February they want to disrupt traffic with further actions.
The understanding of many Berliners has long been exhausted. One writes on Twitter: “Hopefully today more people are willing to drag this end-time sect off the streets.” Another says: “You fight against workers and against emergency services and cause unnecessary CO₂ emissions.”
Criticism also from Tom Schreiber (43), domestic spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group: “These actions represent a dangerous intervention in road traffic.”
Schreiber continues: “The blockades are definitely not demonstrations and are not gatherings to exercise freedom of expression.”