The protest actions of the last generation are public and often very emotional. In the course of the protests, the group has become more professional. Undercover research shows that some dubious recommendations are made.
Nationwide, climate protests of the last generation are taking place almost every day, and the recruitment of young people is in full swing. In so-called protest training, prospective climate activists not only learn how to really stick to the street: the participants are also openly instructed to cheat, as undercover research by RTL shows.
The currently most valuable trophy of the last generation measures about 30 by 30 centimeters and weighs a few kilos. It’s a piece of street that literally “stuck” to climate activist Raúl Semmler after his last tape campaign in Mainz. Now the block of asphalt with the handprint lies in a Cologne meeting room and is admired by the participants of a so-called protest training. The activist himself is obviously proud. Images like his taped hand are important for PR purposes.
The last generation has not only become radicalized in recent months, but also professionalized: There are now lectures and training courses nationwide about the correct behavior in court proceedings, about tips and tricks for better “manipulation” of the press and drivers, with which the protesters are inevitably confronted in the course of an adhesive blockade and, last but not least, about the correct way to attach themselves or to make it more difficult for the police to carry them away. The aim is the greatest possible disruption, the greatest possible damage.
The activists are transparent, journalists are welcome at trainings like the one in Cologne. The organizer of the workshop, Raúl Semmler, a trained actor, does not respond despite repeated requests. The RTL journalists therefore visit the protest courses undercover for several days.
Presumably, as reporters will later realize, not all Last Generation tactics are meant to be shared with the public. In the training sessions, the participants are mentally adjusted to the core messages through meditative relaxation exercises: The protest should appear peaceful – pictures of bleeding hands or the supposedly brutal actions of the police are, however, welcome, they “click well” and are therefore “valuable Goods”. The impression of alleged violence against the activists would bring “attention and empathy” – and ultimately donations.
In the past year alone, the group claims to have raised more than 900,000 euros for their purposes. However, the organizers of the workshop repeatedly emphasized to the participants that the reality in interaction with the police was completely different: one was usually treated “respectfully” by the officers, who also showed “understanding” for the protesters. Every now and then there are even “vegan burgers” in custody, and the “asphalt hand” only came about because Semmler asked the officers to remove the hand “more gently”; removing the glue with oil bothered him hurt. At home, however, he could easily have freed the hand himself with the same means. But pictures of the asphalt block on the hand went viral – and have apparently achieved the goal. At the moment, people also prefer to go to Bavaria to protest, because the state there is tougher, the reprisals are greater – and with it the public attention and the associated willingness to donate.
The activists of the last generation see themselves as a non-violent protest movement, call for more ambition in climate protection, but now they also openly call on their members to cheat. For example, attempts are currently being made to win new supporters for even more sensational campaigns, such as the closure of airports or the turning off of pipelines.
Since claims for damages in the millions are expected here, the organizers of the workshop recommend presenting oneself as penniless to the authorities and concealing one’s own assets. You can “have significantly more money”, but then just store it “in cash with the neighbor”. There are now “well-prepared structures” to avoid high fines, and interested participants in the protest training are welcome to contact the activists afterwards.
Criticism, on the other hand, is only possible with the group in the direction of politics and society, questioning the actions of the activists themselves seemed almost impossible to the RTL reporters.
You can see who the people behind the Last Generation group are and what the RTL reporters experienced during their undercover mission tonight on RTL Extra at 10:35 p.m. on RTL.
