“Oil” protest in Berlin
“Last generation” daubed constitutional monument
03/04/2023, 2:15 p.m
Finally, they felled a tree in front of the Chancellery. Now climate activists are active again in the government district. Members of the “Last Generation” douse a monument to the Basic Law with a black liquid.
Climate protection activists have smeared a monument not far from the Bundestag. The group “Last Generation” announced that several of their supporters had “soaked the glass sculpture “Basic Law 49” in front of the Jakob Kaiser House “in oil”. A spokesman for the Berlin police said that the memorial had been daubed or poured over, with what is not yet clear.
The police found six people there who belonged to the “Last Generation” group. Their personal details have been determined, and criminal investigations may be initiated. In the statement, a spokeswoman for the group explained the background to the action: “Burning oil or protecting fundamental rights? In 2023 only one of the two is possible.”
The protest of the climate protection activists is directed at the federal government: “We continue to race towards the 1.5-degree mark, behind which lurk the tipping points of the climate: the Arctic is melting. The Gulf Stream is coming to a standstill. The Amazon rainforest is dying “, criticize the climate protection activists. “The government has a constitutional duty to protect our livelihoods and freedoms. The government is failing in its duty.”
The glass sculpture “Basic Law 49” on the Spree promenade includes 19 panes of glass, each around three meters high. The 19 fundamental rights articles of the Basic Law are laser-engraved into it. In February, climate protection demonstrators from the group felled a smaller tree in front of the Chancellery in Berlin. The group “Last Generation” was formed after a climate hunger strike in Berlin and calls for more measures to protect the climate. Since the beginning of 2022, it has been blocking motorway exits and other roads in many cities, with Berlin being a focal point.