Members of Last Generation activist group raided in Germany

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 May 2023 16:15

German authorities announce that they have raided 15 locations for members of the Last Generation activist group as part of a preliminary investigation accusing the group following "criminal complaints from the population.”

Police officers stand around a climate activist who has glued her hand on a street during a climate protest in Berlin, Germany, Friday, May 19, 2023. (AP)

As climate activists continue to demonstrate in an effort to persuade the government to take more dramatic action against climate change, German police have started a countrywide raid targeting members of the activist group known as the Last Generation.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, Bavarian police along with the Munich State Prosecutor's Office said that 15 homes in seven different German states had been inspected, that two accounts had been frozen, and that an asset search had also been requested.

According to the statement, the raids were ordered as part of a preliminary investigation “due to numerous criminal complaints from the population” against seven people, all of whom were aged 22 to 38, over suspicions of "forming or supporting a criminal organization."

The defendants have been accused of setting up a fundraiser with the aim of supporting "further crimes" by Last Generation and publicizing them on the group's website. Allegedly, the defendants were able to procure at least 1.4 million Euros (~ $1.5 million) in donations.

"These funds were according to current information mostly used for the committing of further criminal action of the association," German authorities argued.

According to the LKA, two of the suspects are also suspected of attempting to disrupt the Trieste-Ingolstadt oil pipeline in April 2022, which crosses Italy, Austria, and Germany.

For over a year now, members of the Last Generation have blocked roads in various parts of Germany by gluing themselves to the streets. As a result, these activists have been fined for obstructing police work or for disrupting traffic. However, more recently countries have been doubling down on their sentences to the extent that some handed down jail convictions.

German Chancellor Olaf Schulz, earlier in the week dubbed the group's protests as "completely nuts," while Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens called their actions "not a helpful contribution to climate protection," since they "irritate people" rather than convince them.