People who stick to the streets are not activists, they are criminals. But Germany’s governing parties send them affectionate warnings at most. A farce.
No passage: supporters of the “last generation” blocked an exit of the Berlin city motorway in October.
Marc Felix Serrao, Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ in Germany
You are reading an excerpt from the weekday newsletter “The Other View”, today by Marc Felix Serrao, Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ in Germany. Subscribe to the newsletter for free. Not resident in Germany? Benefit here.
Imagine if the demonstrators clinging to the streets of Berlin had other goals. What would happen if, instead of “for the climate”, they protested for less illegal migration or for the lifting of the mask requirement on buses and trains? The republic would tremble. Members of the government would warn against radicalized “enemies of democracy”. Editorial writers would be in an uproar. And on this Monday, the mood would probably have finally changed.
There was a cyclist lying under a cement mixer with life-threatening injuries, and a fire brigade car that was supposed to help with the rescue could not get to her because it was stuck in a traffic jam that the adhesive troop had triggered. The woman survived, but remains in critical condition, according to police.
“Shit happens”
The reactions? near zero. The fire brigade criticized the blockers. But politics remained calm. “Anyone who endangers the saving of human lives through protest actions not only discredits the noble goals for which he/she is fighting, but also gambles away credibility,” tweeted Green co-chairman Omid Nouripour a day late. After all, one might think. But the speech remained strangely affectionate. Not: What you are doing is criminal. But: Be careful, friends, you are losing sympathy.
“Shit happens,” wrote another commenter, who identified himself online as «Activist for global climate justice, as a sly queer slut and as a political scientist» introduces. The man later rowed back. But actually he summed up the mood well.
Shit happens: When it comes to the climate, the state representatives in Germany turn a blind eye. Hardly anyone dares to describe the people who are stuck at central intersections and freeway entrances for what they are: extremists who commit crimes and endanger life. Side note: The leniency also applies to dealing with the people who throw soup and porridge in art museums. Everything, according to the established neologism, “climate activists”: slightly overwrought, but still fighting for a good cause.
The crazy trivialization becomes clear if one imagines again that the protest had other aims. Nobody would speak of “migration restriction activists” or “corona activists”. They would either be enemies of democracy, extremists or Nazis, and the demands for tough action by the police and public prosecutors would quickly become uncountable.
The imbalance certainly also has something to do with the relevance of the topic: climate change is a real threat, and most people rightly feel obliged to protect the climate and the environment. But that alone does not explain the reluctance of the political leaders to name a radicalism that is increasingly turning into extremism.
Dreams of degrowth and deindustrialization
In the case of the Greens, the fear is most understandable. When the party was still in opposition, it sought to close ranks with the demonstrators. Just don’t alienate your own apron seems to be the motto now. Where “forefront” is also wrong. The avowedly extreme left Green Youth and many party members dream together with the roadblockers of degrowth and deindustrialization.
Are SPD and FDP staying? One was once a workers’ party and now sees people being prevented from coming to work by fanatics. The other was once the voice of business and does not even speak up today when power plants are shut down or the phasing out of climate-friendly nuclear energy is declared inevitable. It’s probably a mixture of opportunism and fear. Or in short: a tragedy.