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The A100 is blocked with a sit-in by activists of the group Last Generation in Berlin, Germany. Alamy Stock Photo

Climate activists glue themselves to roads bringing traffic to a halt in Berlin

This morning there were more than 30 road blocks across the city, according to reports.

LAST UPDATE | 24 Apr 2023

GERMAN CLIMATE ACTIVISTS have temporarily brought traffic to a standstill in some parts of Berlin by gluing themselves to streets all over the capital.

Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in the past year in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change.

On several occasions, they have glued themselves to the roads, enraging some motorists and prompting accusations of extremism from conservative politicians.

In addition to the road blocks, the activists said they would also block traffic by marching very slowly through the city later in the day, as they did on Friday.

This morning, there were more than 30 road blocks across the city, German news agency dpa reported.

“We will no longer accept that the government has no plan to stop the destruction of our livelihoods,” Last Generation said in a statement.

“We are resisting now.”

berlin-germany-21st-apr-2023-the-group-letzte-generation-protests-with-a-demonstration-in-berlin-friedrichshain-for-faster-climate-protection-the-activists-regularly-protest-against-the-climate-p A Letzte Generation protest on 21 April. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

According to the Berlin police, up to 500 officers were on the streets in the city all day to prevent the blockades or end them quickly, dpa reported. A police helicopter was hovering over the city to alert colleagues on the ground about the blockades as well.

The group said last week that its members would step up their actions in the coming days and try to “peacefully bring the city to a standstill”.

The protests led to traffic jams on many of Berlin’s main roads and a city highway, as well as in some of the outer neighbourhoods of the German capital.

While some people seemed to support the protesters’ fight for climate protection, others – especially angry drivers who were stuck in congested traffic – tried to pull the activists off the roads violently even though officials have warned motorists repeatedly not to engage in vigilantism against the group.

In some cases, it took more time than in the past to detach protesters from the streets because some of them used a different kind of glue this time. Instead of using oil to detach the protesters’ hands from the streets, officers had to use tools and damage the asphalt to remove the protesters.

Last Generation wants Germany to stop using all fossil fuels by 2030 and take short-term measures including the imposition of a general speed limit of 62mph on highways as a way of cutting transport emissions.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said the current German administration has done more to curb climate change than any of its predecessors.

“We are a parliamentary democracy. There are possibilities to express criticism. I have my doubts that such massive disruptions of public order and the like serve the intended purpose,” he told reporters in Berlin.

“Naturally we don’t support such forms of protest.”

Asked whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to meet with the activists, like other politicians have and are planning to, Mr Hebestreit said he was not aware of any appointments.

“Such talks make particular sense if one wants to exchange views and not if the aim is to force through maximum demands,” he added.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing, who has rejected the demand for a speed limit, plans to meet activists on May 2. He has sharply criticised the group for its road blockades in the past.

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39 Comments
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    Mute Brian Boru
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:19 AM

    I blame the media more than anything. They have whipped up climate change into a doomsday scenario.

    689
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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:08 PM

    @Pintman Paddy Losty: I know. Based on all the expert warnings I went to live at the north pole 20 years ago and I’m still frozen. (Sigh)

    45
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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:31 PM

    @Brian Boru: yeah don’t blame the 100,000s of scientists and researchers. Booooooo them!

    14
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    Mute Kieran Menon
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:25 AM

    Cordon them and leave them there.

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    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    Apr 24th 2023, 12:14 PM

    @Kieran Menon: or send a few combine harvesters down the motorway…

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:51 AM

    “Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

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    Mute Brian MacCarthaigh
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:42 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: Or maybe as each generation gets closer to the point where the world is uninhabitable the more desperate they get to stop climate change.

    17
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    Mute Mandy Seiler
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:30 AM

    They will be the last generation if they can’t find safer ways to protest.

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    Mute Mark
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    Apr 24th 2023, 10:37 AM

    I see they did something similar for the Formula E in Berlin yesterday. What gives? The one motorsport that is efriendly and they choose to disrupt that!!!!

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    Mute Sylvia Power
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    Apr 24th 2023, 10:36 AM

    So many people just have this simplistic idea that climate change is about the earth getting very hot/very cold. What about all the oil spills over the years that have destroyed massive parts of oceans and killed millions of marine species? What about the Great Pacific Garbage patch? What about so many species of animals going extinct? All of these issues are real, and are not “fearmongering”. Climate change is as much about our overconsumption of products, mining of the earth’s raw materials and more as it is about change to the earth’s temperature.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:10 PM

    @Sylvia Power: 80% of the plastic in the Pacific comes from just four rivers, two each in China and India.

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    Mute Sylvia Power
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:30 PM

    @Tony Murphy: Yeah they are 2 of the biggest countries in the world, what’s your point? You think we should do absolutely nothing to save our environment because there are bigger polluters? Great vision you have there

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2023, 6:28 PM

    @Sylvia Power: No, just that anything we do is – literally – a drop in the ocean. Now go off and put your plastic straw in the recycling.

    39
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    Mute Sylvia Power
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    Apr 24th 2023, 8:10 PM

    @Tony Murphy: Can’t we improve Irish biodiversity through wildflower and other plants? Can’t we encourage back species like wolves, bees, otters, eagles and red squirrels? Can’t we bring back and protect native woodland? We can make a huge difference in Ireland if we have the drive and vision – neither of which come from pointing at other countries and saying “What can we do, so let’s do nothing”.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:12 PM

    @Sylvia Power: I think the point is glueing yourself to a road in Germany is not going to change anything that wilo make a difference.
    Like we are told we have to do things here and it will save the planet. Not with the Russians, Indians and others doing what they are and at the speed they are doing it.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 25th 2023, 12:41 AM

    @Sylvia Power: I’m 100% with you there. I’d sacrifice a lot to see this come about. But surely we could support that without committing to the climate change agenda?

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    Mute Deepak Trehan
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    Apr 25th 2023, 6:47 AM

    @Tony Murphy: This is amazing analysis! First the West procures & uses all the required imports from countries like China & India and the blame them for being biggest polluters! Excellent. I wonder this is how you do analysis on day to day basis for yourself!

    1
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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 25th 2023, 10:03 AM

    @Deepak Trehan: Well has it crossed your mind that China and India could stop being polluters? Germany and Japan, to give you just two examples, are massive industrial producers yet contribute very little pollution compared to India and China – whose pollution isn’t all industrial, much if not most being domestic and agricultural refuse dumped straight in rivers.

    Must try harder Deepak.

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    Mute Yvon Queguiner
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:18 AM

    Your typical nuts.

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    Mute Mise Anseo
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    Apr 24th 2023, 10:58 AM

    So long as the world remains profit-driven, NOTHING will change.

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    Mute Jonathan
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:37 AM

    Did they walk there?

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    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    Apr 24th 2023, 3:08 PM

    @Jonathan: they’re mummies probably dropped them there in their 5 litre diesel SUV’s.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Apr 24th 2023, 4:11 PM

    @Paul Shepherd: Like that diesel-driving Extinction Rebellion leader.

    57
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    Mute Sal Paradise
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:33 AM

    Excellent traffic calming measures. Go nice and slow over them. Should reduce speeding.

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    Mute David Healion
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:04 AM

    Passed them by on my bike at Hermanplatz this morning. Only people affected were those in cars. In a city as well connected as Berlin I have little sympathy for car drivers being inconvenienced by this protest.

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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:35 AM

    @David Healion: Perhaps many were unable to cycle; perhaps they have a disability, are older, need to carry equipment or just don’t want to spend their working day smelling like a pig and annoying the rest of the office??

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:14 PM

    @David Healion: So older peiople or disaabled people dont count to you. You can cycle, who cares about those who cannot.

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    Mute UK Hurling Bloke
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    Apr 25th 2023, 8:46 AM

    @Liz O’Neill: same old stale clichéd whataboutery…There’s a bike for every occasion..and every type of person…
    let me educate you:

    Disabled -> can use recumbent / hand cycle….
    Elderly -> can use e-bikes….
    Carrying Equipment -> e-cargo bike….

    Lazy body, lazy mind Liz.
    Get some exercise for yourself

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    Mute Chris Thaunton
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    May 1st 2023, 6:45 PM

    @UK Hurling Bloke: Ah, the ol’ whataboutery comeback. What a lazy way to disengage from a discussion. Hey, on the off chance, would you have an e-cargo bike that can carry over 100kgs of sensitive optical equipment by any chance? I would also need almost perfectly smooth surfaces with little to no inclines.

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    Mute BLD Games
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:34 AM

    These poor misguided people. They’ve clearly been infected with the hundred monkey effect.

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    Mute john mac
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    Apr 24th 2023, 1:39 PM

    How cold is ireland again tonight?

    54
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    Mute Charles Mount
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    Apr 24th 2023, 11:51 AM

    I was in Berlin last year. The public transport is plentiful and there’s relatively little traffic in the city. I thought they were doing a job.

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    Mute Pete Gilmartin
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    Apr 24th 2023, 3:52 PM

    Tinfoil hat conspiracy I know but I have a sneaking suspection that oil companies are funding these people to make the public despise climate protests in general. Astroturfing to give it its proper name.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:14 PM

    @Pete Gilmartin: Yeah sure they are!

    5
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    Mute Stephen Moore
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    Apr 24th 2023, 3:28 PM

    The traffic this morning on Kaiserdamm was mental. It reminded me of being back in Dublin

    15
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    Mute Liam Dwyer
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:03 PM

    Get some jobs

    8
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    Mute Pat Barry
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:09 PM

    @Liam Dwyer: That is their job, which they get paid €1300 pm to do.

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    Mute Nicholas Burnham
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    Apr 24th 2023, 7:53 PM

    Man glues himself to cellphone bringing productivity to a halt

    7
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    Mute Asid Howz
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    Apr 24th 2023, 9:58 PM

    The concensus manipulation..

    3
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