German police unionists are concerned about the “fanaticism” of climate activists

BERLIN, July 15 (DPA/EP) –

The head of the German police union GdP, Jochen Kopelke, has accused the climate activist group Last Generation and its “growing fanaticism” of raising alarm among law enforcement.

For their part, Última Generación members say their goal is to force German politicians to recognize the devastating effects of the climate crisis, but their provocative tactics have outraged many.

Among the most striking protests of this group are, for example, rappelling down from highway bridges or throwing food at works of art exhibited in famous museums.

Activists also stick to city streets, highways and even airport runways, leading to traffic disruptions that have caused widespread outrage among the public and the Police.

Kopelke has argued that “Last Generation is turning the people against them” and that “the growing fanaticism of the group is causing great concern among the police.”

With its “criminal actions and intrusive cruelty”, the group is succeeding in weakening support for climate protection policies, it added.

This Friday, the activists again interrupted road traffic at key points in more than two dozen German cities. The previous Thursday, they paralyzed the airports of Hamburg and Düsseldorf for several hours by climbing over the fences, running on the runways and sticking close to them.

The head of GdP considers – and has expressed it this way – that the activists should be subject to harsher sanctions, including higher fines and prison terms. He has also emphasized the need for a nationwide coordinated approach among law enforcement to deal with radical climate change protesters.