1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Israel and the crisis in the Middle EastGerman coalition collapseUS election
Activists of the "Letzte Generation" (Last Generation) block a road to protest for climate councils
Image: Annegret Hilse/REUTERSImage: Annegret Hilse/REUTERS

Climate protests

Activists are finding new ways to draw attention to the devastating effects of climate change. In Germany, and the rest of Europe, discussion about whether such protests are criminal or not has been heating up.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

An aerial view of Carti Sugtupu Island in the Guna Yala Comarca on the Caribbean coast of Panama. The island appears to be overcrowded with dwellings, presumably displaced and pushed back by the advancing coastline.

Coastal communities worldwide brace for rising sea levels

Sea levels are rising at an ever faster speed, putting more than a billion people at risk globally.
ClimateSeptember 25, 202403:22 min
Protesters march during the global climate strike organized by Fridays for Future in Berlin, Germany.

Germany sees nationwide climate protests

Thousands of activists in Berlin and across Germany have staged protests calling attention to the climate crisis.
ClimateSeptember 20, 202402:06 min
Fridays for Future activists in Berlin

Fridays for Future protests draw 75,000 in Germany

Climate activists filled the streets of German cities from Berlin to Munich.
PoliticsSeptember 20, 2024
People with yellow smoke bombs

Climate protesters close off Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum art gallery in the Dutch capital closed "until further notice" after climate activists blockaded it.
SocietySeptember 7, 2024
A cut in the fence of Cologne/Bonn airport as seen on August 15, 2024

Germany: Climate activists block four airports

The airport announced it was suspending flights after an "unauthorized intrusion."
PoliticsAugust 15, 2024
DW Arts Unveiled (Sendungslogo Composite)

Caspar David Friedrich: Master of mystery

From Walt Disney to computer games, Caspar David Friedrich continues to influence the visual world today.
CultureAugust 11, 202426:06 min
A police vehicle can be seen near a plane on the tarmac at Hamburg Airport in Germany, on November 4th, 2023

Germany: Police stop climate protesters at Hamburg Airport

A group of cyclists, who police said planned to blockade the airport over climate change, were intercepted by officers.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 2, 2024
A plane at the Leipzig/Halle airport

Germany: Climate activists protest at Leipzig/Halle airport

The Last Generation group called on Germany to establish an international treaty to phase out oil, gas and coal.
PoliticsAugust 1, 2024
A view of police cars parked on a runway at Frankfurt Airport

Climate protest halts Frankfurt flights

Activists broke through a fence and glued themselves to the tarmac at one of Europe's busiest travel hubs.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 25, 202401:43 min
A climate protester is carried off by police

Germany's Last Generation aims to revive climate protests

Climate activists have brought Germany's busiest airport to a standstill, in a bid to give their cause new momentum.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 25, 2024
Police and emergency vehicles stand on a runway at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, July 25, 2024, after a few climate activists glued themselves to the ground

Frankfurt airport: Climate activists stop scores of flights

The protest at Germany's largest airport against fossil fuels resulted in the cancellation of more than 100 flights.
TravelJuly 25, 2024
Police vehicles at Frankfurt airport

Germany: Climate protesters block Cologne/Bonn airport

The climate group Last Generation broke on to the runway and glued themselves to the ground.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 24, 2024
People wait with their luggage at the Maui airport in Kahului, Hawaii

Hawaii agrees to settle youth climate change lawsuit

Young activists claimed a transportation system that contributes to climate change violates their constitutional rights.
ClimateJune 21, 2024
A climate activist in front of a spray painted private jet

Taylor Swift's jet spared activists' orange paint

Activist group Just Stop Oil claimed to have targeted the airport where Taylor Swift's private jet was parked.
ClimateJune 20, 2024
Environmental protesters spray paint on Britain's Stonehenge

Stonehenge sprayed with paint by environmental protesters

The prehistoric megalithic structure in England has been targeted by activists spraying orange powder paint.
CrimeJune 19, 2024
An election poster showing a cat

EU election: Who are the small parties striving for votes?

Here are some of the renegades, revolutionaries, and single-issue campaigners vying for votes on June 9 in Germany.
PoliticsJune 3, 20247 images
Olaf Scholz looks up during a climate protest in Erfurt

Germany's Scholz disrupted by protesters at Catholic event

A group of "Last Generation" activists used a bullhorn to shout slogans at the visibly annoyed German leader in Erfurt.
PoliticsMay 31, 2024
Klimaaktivisten legen Münchner Flughafen lahm

Munich airport disrupted by climate protesters

Several climate activists were arrested for breaching the grounds of Munich airport and gluing themselves to the tarmac.
PoliticsMay 18, 2024
DUH protests against the German government in front of the OVG during trial. Berlin, May 16, 2024.

German government must amend climate plan, court rules

A court ruled in favor of forcing the German government to do more in order to reach legally binding climate goals.
ClimateMay 16, 2024
UK: Police officers outside the British Library following the action by two Just Stop Oil activists on May 10, 2024

Climate protesters in their 80s target Magna Carta

The historic document, kept at the British Library in London, was unscathed.
ClimateMay 10, 2024
Greta Thunberg pictured during a protest in London

Greta Thunberg fined over Stockholm protest

The "Fridays for Future" activist has been fined for civil disobedience after a protest at the Swedish Parliament.
SocietyMay 9, 2024
A woman hugs a tree in an appreciative way in Uganda.

Uganda's world record tree hugger planting seeds for change

Climate activist Patricia Ariokot raises awareness of the vital role trees play in mental and environmental health.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 22, 202404:22 min
Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg talks with Rosmarie Wydler-Walti, of the Swiss elderly women group Senior Women for Climate Protection outside the ECHR in Strasbourg, April 9, 2024

Climate: ECHR judges side with Swiss group in rights ruling

The court ruled in favor of a Swiss women's group, saying some rights were violated, but threw out two similar actions.
Law and JusticeApril 9, 2024
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg being detained by police in The Hague on April 6, 2024

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrested in the Netherlands

Dutch Police arrested Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion protesters after they blocked a motorway in The Hague.
PoliticsApril 6, 2024
A group of climate protesters from the group Last Generation sit on a street in Cologne, Germany, as police look on

Last Generation stages protests across Germany

Environmental activists changed tactics slightly, blocking streets without gluing themselves to the pavement.
ClimateMarch 16, 2024
Elon Musk greets workers in front of a sign the reads ' the future'

Germany: Elon Musk visits Tesla factory after power sabotage

The Tesla CEO is visiting the plant outside of Berlin after a suspected arson attack last week cut power supply.
BusinessMarch 13, 2024
Tesla cars at the opening of the German plant in 2022

Tesla sabotage in Germany: Who is the Volcano Group?

The far-left Volcano Group has claimed responsibility for the suspected arson attack near a Tesla plant in Brandenburg.
ClimateMarch 6, 2024
young protesters, one is holding up a sign that reads 'end fossil fuels', Berlin September 2023

Fridays for Future in Germany has a new strategy

Instead of holding school strikes for more action on climate change, the German FFF movement is forging new alliances.
SocietyMarch 1, 2024
An empty platform in Frankfurt

Germany: Public transport strike in full swing

Trade union Verdi public transport strike is being supported by Fridays for Future environmental movement.
SocietyMarch 1, 2024
A protester seen from behind, observing a climate protest from a distance

Support for climate action up, so why does it feel hopeless?

To make real progress on climate action, analysts say, people need to realize they're not alone.
Nature and EnvironmentFebruary 16, 2024
Visitors view Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus"

Climate protesters in Italy target Botticelli painting

They face stiff new penalties introduced in Italy against such protests.
CrimeFebruary 13, 2024
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg, centre, speaks to the media at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.

Judge acquits Greta Thunberg after London climate protest

Greta Thunberg was charged with a public order offense after a protest at a London oil and gas conference last year.
PoliticsFebruary 2, 2024
Police detain a member of the Letzte Generation carrying a sign.

German climate activists to stop gluing themselves to roads

Activist group the Last Generation said they will now use the tactic of organizing "disobedient assemblies."
ClimateJanuary 30, 2024
Two activists throw soup at the Mona Lisa

Activists throw soup at Mona Lisa in Paris

A video showed the two protesters demanding "the right to healthy, sustainable food."
CrimeJanuary 28, 2024
People hold a sign made of LED lights that says ''Not A Hoax'' during a rally in San Diego

What is climate misinformation, and why does it matter?

Opponents of climate science have ways of sowing doubt around climate change. And that can restrict urgent action.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 23, 2024
Last Generation activists blocking a street in Berlin in September in a similar incident

Germany: Green lawmaker hit by car at climate protest

The Green Party lawmaker and a journalist were struck by a car at a climate protest in Halle.
ClimateJanuary 15, 2024
Brailian President Silva attending an Amazon summit in August

Brazil's Amazon Fund: A global climate blueprint?

Before COP28, Brazil hopes for more cooperation among Global South nations and rich nations to pay long-promised funds.
ClimateNovember 30, 2023
Activists are moved by police officers as they block a road in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany

German court upholds wiretaps of climate activists to press

A court in Bavaria says police were right in wiretapping phone calls between the Last Generation group and journalists.
Law and JusticeNovember 29, 2023
A protest for climate action at Horseshoe Beach in Newcastle, Australia

Australia: More than 100 climate activists arrested

They were blocking the Port of Newcastle over the weekend, challenging the nation's reliance on fossil fuel exports.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 27, 2023
Climate activists from the 'Last Generation' movement participate in a peaceful blockade in central Berlin, Germany on November 25, 2023

Germany: Last Generation activists blockade Berlin streets

Hundreds of protesters took part in the blockade just hours before an unrelated rally on Ukraine was due to start.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 25, 2023
Thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam hosts large climate protest as elections near

Tens of thousands of people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the Dutch capital.
PoliticsNovember 12, 2023
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg is taken away by police officers during the Oily Money Out protest.

Greta Thunberg detained at London climate protest

Climate activist Greta Thunberg and others were detained at a protest to disrupt an oil and gas executives' forum.
ClimateOctober 17, 2023
This photo from the Vietnam News Agency shows Vietnam activist Hoang Duc Binh standing inside the courtroom, with several officers sitting behind him

Vietnam: Why climate activism can be a risky business

Climate change politics in Vietnam's authoritarian system has led to activists being arrested and imprisoned.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 12, 2023
Four youth activists walk in woods in Portugal

Why are climate activists taking 32 nations to court?

The court will consider a climate case that could hold governments accountable for acting too slowly.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 27, 2023
Protesters walk along a road in Berlin, warning high visibility vests and carrying placards that say in Germany, "Last Generation before the tipping point."

Last Generation warned against disrupting Berlin Marathon

Activists of Last Generation said planned to protest at the Berlin Marathon, prompting a forewarning by organizers.
SportsSeptember 23, 2023
People march in New York ahead of the UNGA this week

Climate change: Thousands march in NYC ahead of UN summit

Protesters are demanding an end to fossil fuels ahead of the UN General Assembly.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 18, 2023
People look at the Brandenburg Gate with is columns partially painted yellow and orange

Climate activists spray Brandenburg Gate orange

The protest at the Berlin landmark comes as the city braces for more climate rallies in the coming days.
ClimateSeptember 17, 2023
People take part in a Global Climate Strike 'Fridays For Future' protest in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.

Fridays for Future climate protests held worldwide

A weekend of climate protests started in several cities worldwide calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 15, 2023
Automesse IAA · Eröffnung

Top 5 wow moments from the IAA 2023

The top 5 wow moments in the world of transport and mobility from the 2023 IAA
Cars and TransportationSeptember 12, 202304:41 min
Police detaining several climate protesters on the A12 highway in the Netherlands. One woman in the foreground is being forcibly removed from the road.

Netherlands police detain thousands of climate protesters

The protesters have vowed to continue until the Dutch government stops subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.
ClimateSeptember 10, 2023