With traffic blockades and the pollution of works of art, activists from the “last generation” expect a lot from society. Warnings of a “climate RAF” come from the CSU. Party leader Söder would also like to send the protesters to prison nationwide as a precaution.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder does not object to the warning that climate activists could become a “climate RAF”. “There is always a danger that with a large movement, a small core will start to become more aggressive and radical,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group when asked whether “Climate RAF” was also his choice of words. “Alexander Dobrindt pointed out a phenomenon and warned what could develop from it. The vast majority of Germans believe that road blockades are wrong.”
CSU regional group chief Dobrindt recently demanded that the emergence of a “climate RAF” must be prevented. Dobrindt sticks to this comparison despite criticism. The far-left Red Army Faction (RAF) was active between the early 1970s and 1990s. She murdered more than 30 people in her terrorist attacks and hostage-taking. The activists of the “Last Generation” use road blockades, among other things, to draw attention to their cause – the fight against climate change. They are calling for a speed limit on motorways and the reintroduction of the 9-euro ticket in local public transport. The group rejects violence against people.
In the “Spiegel” the Hamburg political scientist and terrorism expert Wolfgang Kraushaar classified comparisons between the RAF and the RAF as “very absurd”. “The precursors to terrorism in the RAF were two attacks on department stores in Frankfurt am Main at the height of the 1968 riots. Among the perpetrators were Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader, who later became leaders of the RAF,” said Kraushaar. Such a precursor is not recognizable in the “last generation”, he told the news magazine. The researcher does not believe that the group’s protest is effective. “It is obvious that the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees will not be achieved. Activists who stick themselves on the street or smear a painting cannot change that,” said Kraushaar.
In Bavaria, the police can take people into preventive custody for up to 30 days after the decision of a district court, twice in a row. The law was originally introduced as a tool against Islamist threats, now it is applied to climate activists. A good two dozen are currently in prison “to prevent further blockades and criminal offenses that have been announced.” Prime Minister Söder would like to see the Bavarian regulation applied nationwide: “We need a clear line throughout Germany,” he told the Funke newspapers.
After the protest actions in museums, in which the protesters smeared food on works of art, Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann is considering tightening criminal law. The FDP politician told the “Bild am Sonntag” that his ministry would closely monitor how the judiciary was dealing with the attacks on cultural treasures. “If I come to the conclusion that the legal framework is not sufficient, I will act. I will have my house checked carefully to see whether we have a legal deficit here,” said Buschmann.
At the beginning of November, Buschmann told the “Bild”: “Anyone who throws works of art can be punished for damage to property. A road blockade can be punished as coercion. And if ambulances are slowed down, criminal liability for negligent bodily harm can also be considered.” In addition to fines, the law also provides for imprisonment in certain cases. These laws also need to be enforced.
Buschmann now told the “Bild am Sonntag” that in an open society everyone is allowed to promote their concerns, criticize things and demonstrate. This is not only required by law, but makes up a diverse society. “But throwing food at art has little to do with it,” he said.
