German police deliver swift response to climate protesters
German police have been videoed expertly handling climate protesters that attempted to block a road, echoing the protests undertaken by Just Stop Oil in the UK. The eco-warriors, believed to be from Letzte Generation – Last Generation in English – attempted to sit in the middle of the road in front of traffic lights and unfurl their banners.
However, before their banners could be raised and their positions secured, the five orange-vested activists were removed from the road by the authorities in a swift and safe manner.
Traffic then proceeded to pass as normal, as one officer waved the vehicles through. Former UKIP leader and British Army Captain, Henry Bolton OBE, took to social media to shine a light on the easy work the German police made of the disruptive climate demonstrators, in a pointed gesture at the performance of British police forces in their handling of similar incidents in the UK.
Sharing the video on Twitter the father-of-three wrote: “German police dealing with just stop oil protesters – it’s not difficult.”
Mr Bolton, who himself used to be a police officer, was likely making a jibe at the approach taken by the Metropolitan Police when confronted with Just Stop Oil protesters in the UK.
An undercover investigation by this website revealed that some British climate activists believed the police were on their side.
An elderly Just Stop Oil and former Insulate Britain member, Ana, said of the police: “They’re so relieved, their little faces when they turn up, they’re so relieved it’s us.”
In a clip posted by Just Stop Oil on May 22, a Metropolitan Police officer can be heard telling a slow-marching activist “I’m your servant”, after admitting that there are “bigger crimes going on in London right now”.
The climate group captioned the video, which has been viewed almost 70,000 times, with the words: “Today, His Majesty’s finest were seen having honest conversations with supporters of Just Stop Oil on their slow march for no new oil and gas.”
On May 25, three Just Stop Oil activists were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Three protesters from the group of eco-zealots clambered over the rope protecting an area of curated plantlife on display and threw orange powder over themselves.
In video footage of the incident, a man can be heard calling the activists “morons”, whilst a woman can be heard shouting for security to intervene.
Protester Naomi Goddard, 58, a retired landscape architect from Hebden Bridge, shouted, as she threw powder into the air: “Humanity is failing. Everything that you hold dear is in peril: The flower gardens that you love, the artwork that you treasure, the buildings that you adore, our traditions.
“What is the point in a garden if you can’t feed yourself? What is the point in a garden if you can’t eat? What is the point in tradition if society is collapsing around you?”.
One a woman, clearly enraged by the action of the activists, managed to get hold of a hosepipe and spray the eco-nuts with water, in an effort to force them to leave.
However, the activists stayed put before being confronted by a security guard, and then arrested by police.
Although there doesn’t appear to be any formal affiliation between Just Stop Oil and Letzte Generation, the eco-groups employ similar tactics in distinctive orange vests.
Letzte Generation operates in three countries across Europe – Germany, Italy and Austria.
Last week three activists from the group turned the Trevi fountain in Rome black in a statement against fossil fuels, following the devastating floods in northern Italy.
Two protesters from the group glued themselves to the ground outside the Austrian parliament building, in defiance of rules preventing protest in the area.
In Germany, the group are widely perceived as a nuisance. A survey carried out by Der Spiegel this month, found that 79% of respondents said the eco-group’s actions were wrong, with only 16% backing their protests.
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