Raids on Last Generation: Overflowing Authoritarian Zeal

AfD and Union shout “climate terror” – and the state strikes instead of seeking dialogue: a sign of inadequacy for the alleged “climate chancellor”.

The United Nations have criticized the tough measures taken against climate activists in Germany Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa

The whole republic is discussing how the actions of the climate protection group last generation are to be classified legally, and what is the conference of justice ministers (Jumiko) doing? “That was not an issue at the Jumiko,” Berlin’s new Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (independent, for the CDU) claimed on Friday at the final press conference in Berlin. The country is currently chairing the conference, which took place on May 25-26.

Incredulous questions from the journalists. No, not even under the agenda item “Miscellaneous”, assured Hamburg’s Senator for Justice Anna Gallina (Greens), who denied the press conference together with Badenberg and the Bavarian Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich (CSU). And on a topic that was not discussed at the Jumiko, “we will not take a stand,” said Badenberg.

No problem? Believe who will. On Wednesday, the Bavarian public prosecutor’s office searched 15 apartments belonging to last-generation climate activists in a total of seven federal states, confiscated donations totaling 1.4 million euros and blocked the group’s website. The accusation: suspicion of forming a criminal organization.

Asked about this on Wednesday evening by the ARD daily topics, Berlin’s Senator for Justice was not so reticent. After a lot of stammering, partly read and contradictory statements, Badenberg almost sounded as if she was advising the climate activists to go underground if they didn’t like the raids. Badenberg literally: “Whether the last generation has to go underground or something else, that’s a decision that the last generation has to make for themselves.”

CArla Hinrichs, a well-known spokeswoman for the group, described that she was still in bed when police broke down the door and burst into her room at gunpoint. The Berlin GdP spokesman Benjamin Jendro commented smugly: “Knock knock”.

Paragraph 129 of the “criminal association”, which is also notorious for political repression, served as a door opener. The group acts peacefully and transparently, they only do symbolic actions and mainly practice civil disobedience through sit-ins on streets. For the application of paragraph 129, there actually needs to be a threat to public safety. To what extent this is due to sit-ins or sticking to picture frames remains a secret for the security authorities.

And the fact that the Berlin public prosecutor’s office classifies the last generation fundamentally differently, also in view of other symbolic actions and civil disobedience on the streets, is obviously of no interest to anyone in Bavaria. Where there is a will, there’s a way. Because if AfD, Picture–If the newspaper and the CSU only shout “climate terrorists” and “climate RAF” long enough, the state will eventually strike.

prejudice included

Official prejudice and violations of the state neutrality requirement were free of charge: The Bavarian public prosecutor’s office wrote on the blocked website under a logo of the Bavarian LKA and the Munich public prosecutor’s office as a precaution: “The last generation represents a criminal organization according to § 129 StGB! (Caution: Donations to the last generation therefore represent a punishable support of the criminal organization!)”.

The question of whether the Last Generation is a criminal organization has not been clarified in a court of law. The completely uninhibited Bavarian authorities had to do their thing take back dubious claims several times and delete the sentences. There is only the “initial suspicion that it could be a criminal organization”.

However, the exuberant authoritarian zeal of the Bavarian authorities has meanwhile criminalized civil disobedience and peaceful protest pending the court review. He stigmatizes supporters and donors of the group at the same time.

Instead of engaging with young and disaffected activists desperately but basically peacefully engaging in civil disobedience to protest for meeting the Paris climate goals, politicians are sending in the police. Once again: Your goals are an international consensus, to which the Federal Republic of Germany is also committed and whose observance the Federal Constitutional Court has urged.

So the German state responds to legitimate criticism with repression. It fits the picture that Chancellor Scholz described the actions of the last generation as “completely crazy”. At the same time, he makes a fool of himself in his alleged “progress coalition” because he cannot even enforce laws on the heat transition against the blockade of the FDP.

United Nations criticize Federal Republic

Even more embarrassing: The United Nations condemns the tough German action against climate activists. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that global climate goals would be out of reach without environmental protests: “Climate activists – led by the moral voice of young people – have continued to pursue their goals even in the darkest of days. They need to be protected and we need them now more than ever.” Protesters have been instrumental in “crucial moments in persuading governments and business leaders to do much more,” according to New York.

After all, social solidarity is not breaking down either. The activists were back just one day after the raids 200,000 euros in donations collected. And their desperate determination to accept condemnations for interrupting everyday life with fossil fuels relentlessly reveals how repressive the state is in order to be able to further suppress the climate crisis.

This authoritarian self-revelation shows the government’s helplessness in the face of peaceful protests for reasonable demands such as speed limits and 9-euro tickets. This is one of the reasons why there are now a number of people showing solidarity Critics of their forms of protest with the last generation.

And what are the 16 justice ministers doing? Be silent. Sovereign politics looks different.