In an accident in Berlin, a cyclist was run over by a concrete mixer earlier this week. His rescue has been delayed because of an action by climate protest group “Last Generation”, which is under increasing pressure.
The woman who was run over by a concrete mixer in Berlin on Monday died of her injuries. Police and prosecutors announced this in a statement on Friday. “The 44-year-old cyclist, who was seriously injured in a traffic accident in Wilmersdorf last Monday, died in hospital last night,” the statement reads. Authorities announced on Thursday that she had been declared brain dead.
The incident caused a stir in which climate activists from the “Ultimate Generation” protest group reportedly shared responsibility for the accident. They are accused of having interrupted rescue operations through an action. Specifically, they allegedly caused a traffic jam on the A100 motorway in Berlin by placing banners there and sticking to a sign gantry. To resolve the scene, the police apparently blocked two lanes. As a result, the ambulance got stuck in traffic and did not arrive at the crash site in time.
Climate activists under pressure
In this context, criticism of the protest group is getting louder and louder. “When crimes are committed and other people are in danger, all lines of legitimate protest are crossed,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). “None of this has anything to do with a democratic debate. Criminals must be prosecuted quickly and consistently.” Meanwhile, the police union (GdP) called for the ban on the climate protest group to be examined. “Activists’ protests are getting more and more out of control. We think that’s enough,” she said.
Investigations against two people have already started. Two climate activists, 59 and 63 years old, are accused of failing to provide assistance and obstructing those providing assistance.
“Last generation” on the defensive
The “Last Generation” themselves were “dismayed” by the incident. “The fact that the cyclist had an accident on the road is terrible. We are dismayed and in mourning,” he repeated on Friday. But your protest will continue. “The biggest risk for humanity is simply getting on with everyday life. The biggest danger is that the government doesn’t take even the simplest security measures,” she says in a post on the short-messaging platform Twitter.
In a statement, climate activists go even further. Media professionals would unleash a “wave of allegations, untruths and hate speech” against them. A situation would be “fictionally exaggerated”, the cyclist’s accident would be explored: “As if a hook has finally been found to drag our peaceful protest through the dirt”. In defense, it is said that the accident happened several kilometers from the places of action. “We were on a slab gantry on the A100. The police independently regulated traffic from below and reduced it to one lane. We informed the police before entering the gantry and requested that emergency vehicles be diverted and that the A100 be completely closed to traffic. We always have a rescue trail in all of our protests.” The federal government must end its protest by controlling the crisis, concludes the climate protest group. “Until then, resistance will continue.”
(bsch)