German climate protesters glue themselves to Berlin streets

Activists protesting at what they see as too sluggish government action to combat climate change glued themselves to streets all over the German capital, Berlin, on Monday, causing severe traffic disruption.

The group behind the protests, Last Generation, is calling on the German government to take more drastic measures to cut greenhouse emissions, including stopping the use of all fossil fuels by 2030 and imposing an overall speed limit on highways.

As usual it shared a series of videos of its protesters in action online, typically examples of what it said was police being heavy-handed removing them, or of angry commuters reacting to them. 

What action are the activists taking?

A Berlin police spokeswoman said there had been protest actions at 33 locations in the city, describing the situation as "dynamic." 

One protest took place on the highway partial ringroad, the Bundesautobahn 100, where activists had glued themselves to the asphalt, she said.

The road blocks began at 7:30 a.m. (0530 GMT/UTC), a peak traffic period.

The main areas affected in the morning were the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.

According to the Berlin police, up to 500 officers were set for duty on the streets all day to prevent or disperse blockades.

The protests come after the group said last week that its members would expand its actions and try to "peacefully bring the city to a standstill." Late last week they had held a series of events mainly targeting government buildings in Berlin. 

The activists said Monday they would also march very slowly through the city later in the day, as they already did on Friday, to disrupt traffic as much as possible.

On Sunday, Last Generation activists delayed the start of a Formula E race in Berlin when they attempted to glue themselves to the course at Tempelhof airport. They climbed the security fencing as cars were starting their formation lap before the start and briefly made it onto the track.

 

Security personnel prevented them from staying on the asphalt for very long and the race started with only six minutes' delay. 

Drivers asked whether the protesters were aware they had targeted an all-electric series. 

"I thought it was pretty ridiculous," Abt Cupra driver Nico Müller said. "I don't know if these people realize what we are doing here."

The group has said it intends to continue with its blockades in the coming days.

tj/msh (dpa, AFP)

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