EA 44-year-old cyclist who was run over by a cement mixer in Berlin on Monday, whose rescue may have been hampered by climate blockades, has been declared brain dead. The police announced this on Thursday, correcting previous information that the woman had died. After the accident, a special vehicle from the fire brigade arrived late at the scene of the accident due to a road blockade by climate activists.
The protesters from the Last Generation group said after the accident that some of them protested on the city highway and disrupted traffic. The group cannot rule out that the vehicle’s delay “is due to a traffic jam caused by us”. The Berlin police filed criminal charges against two climate activists for, among other things, failure to provide assistance.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called for a resolute prosecution of possible criminal offenses in climate protests. “When crimes are committed and other people are endangered, every line of legitimate protest is exceeded,” Faeser told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Thursday. “None of this has anything to do with a democratic debate. The criminals must be prosecuted quickly and consistently.”
The rule of law cannot be fooled, explained Faeser. “The police have my full support when they crack down on self-proclaimed climate activists who have been endangering other people with completely unacceptable actions for weeks. These activists place themselves above the law and resort to means that do not benefit the important issue of climate protection, but do considerable harm.” The security authorities have a close eye on radicalization processes. She also sharply condemns attacks on democratic institutions and parties.
While rescue workers were taking care of the woman on Monday, an unknown attacked the 64-year-old concrete mixer driver with a knife. The attacker then fled the scene of the accident. The police announced on Thursday that they had arrested a 48-year-old suspect on Wednesday evening. This should be presented to a judge on Thursday, it said.
Both the cyclist and the truck driver were taken to the hospital on Monday. The truck driver has now been able to leave the clinic.
Activists from the “Last Generation” coalition have been glued to the streets for months. Most recently, activists defaced party headquarters in Berlin and threw mashed potatoes at a Monet painting in the Barberini Museum in Potsdam.