German police raid climate activists who stopped traffic and vandalized art
Breanne Deppisch
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German police on Wednesday launched a wide-ranging national raid targeting climate activists with the group Last Generation on suspicions of forming or supporting a criminal organization.
Authorities searched at least 15 properties, seized assets, and arrested seven people as part of a sprawling investigation into the financing of the group, according to a statement from Bavarian police and prosecutors.
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They said the suspects are accused of “organizing a donations campaign to finance further criminal acts” for Last Generation.
While the authorities stopped short of naming what specific criminal action or actions they were referring to, they noted that at least $1.5 million had been collected for the group and its campaign, according to the Agence France-Press.
They also noted that two of the suspects arrested were alleged to have attempted to sabotage an oil pipeline linking Italy and Germany, which is designated as critical infrastructure in Germany.
The crackdown comes as dozens of climate activists from Last Generation and other groups have been arrested in recent months for staging a growing number of protests and provocations, such as throwing mashed potatoes on museum paintings, blocking streets, and gluing themselves below famed works of art.
Several activists from the group were arrested last fall after gluing themselves below the Claude Monet painting Les Meules at a museum in Potsdam, Germany.
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Earlier this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took aim at Last Generation’s actions, saying they were “completely nuts.”
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck also frowned upon the antics, noting that they were “not a helpful contribution to climate protection” and were designed to “irritate people” rather than spark meaningful dialogue around global warming.