In Germany, police and prosecutors launched their first nationwide crackdown on the Last Generation group with raids on May 24. The climate activists are charged with the "formation or support of a criminal organization" in Munich, which led to home searches and the shutdown of their website.
Four days earlier, Last Generation activists in Italy had staged an attention-grabbing protest, pouring a black liquid, charcoal diluted with water, into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Their banner demanded "an immediate end to public subsidies for all fossil fuels." The activists were arrested and now face draconian penalties: Between €10,000 and €60,000 ($10,700 and $64,000) in damages and criminal penalties for charges of vandalizing cultural property.
Italian authorities are taking a rigorous approach to combatting these actions. In the northern city of Padua, the Last Generation is being investigated on suspicion of the forming a criminal organization, with the aid of the law enforcement unit that normally specializes in combating terrorism.
While conservative Christian Democrats favor having the group monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the country's domestic intelligence agency, political scientists have criticized the recent raids as disproportionate. They say that such an approach could radicalize activists even further
The United Nations has called for the moral voice of young people to be protected.
"The choice to employ harsh measures is exactly that: A conscious choice. Governments respond to these types of activism not generally because they are obliged or 'helpless'.". "If we consider the responses to other forms of activism that could equally be described as disruptive in recent years, for example against vaccinations and the use of masks, it's clear that a choice is made as to how to respond."
Lmao the tamest most symbolic actions possible (pouring food colouring in a fountain) are apparently terrorism. Contradictions go :stonks-up:
Honestly incredible how those climate action groups are incredibly self-sabotaging yet are seen as such a big threat.
Tagesschau.de, 24th May 2023
Police Union welcomes the action
The German Police Union welcomes Today's measures against "Last Generation". "The Justice [system] is cracking down, this is the right signal from a resilient country ruled by law." The General Secretary of the Police Union Rainer Wendt said in Berlin. "The population, which suffers a thousand times daily from the street terror of self proclaimed climate-saviors is finally getting perceived as the victim of these criminals"
:frothingfash: "To find out who rules over you, simply find out who you're not allowed to criticize."
:bugs-stalin:: "Well I choose to criticize these oil companies run by WASPs!"
:frothingfash:: "Hey wokie! It's illegal to tell a white man that they're in the wrong, especially if they're big polluters! Bluehair! Bluehair!"
:grillman:: "Yeah, fuck you! Who cares about the environment, or even equality? Civil rights? What are we a bunch of Asians!?"
Can I please just get Isekai'd already? I promise I won't be creepy, it's just that :farnsworth:.
Love how the "civilized world" does everything to ignore the problems while the "jungle" is making efforts to do something with what little we have. Even worse is how the developed nations--well, most of them anyway--are going to have the least problems compared to us.
In Germany, Last Generation activists recently exchanged views with Transport Minister Volker Wissing, though such a meeting would be unthinkable in Italy
Love that Germans still can't resist sucking themselves off about how progressive their country is compared to the backwards southerners in an article where it talks about how they've criminalised the climate movement
Also rules that the Green Party is in power when this is happening. What a bunch of clowns
This is basically a pet project of the Bavarian CSU (with support from the libertarian FDP) tbf, who are cracking down on the group even before the courts have ruled against them.
The Green Party and especially the Socdems would do nothing against them, because of the support of "everything must be done through the proper channels" activism.
Basically, since they're already in power, they want you to vote harder.
Ah okay, fair enough. Although I maintain my position that the Green Party are a bunch of clowns
Well I changed the title obviously, though the quotes all are real. The real title just says Europe "grapples" with climate protests.
But they :vote: for the greens, why are they using the monopoly of violence against them and are not doing the constructive dialogue because democracy??111??
