2024-12-16 21:04:00
According to Last Generation, climate activist Karl Braig (69) from Kempten was the group’s first supporter and was sentenced to prison. Christian Bergemann, spokesman for the activist group, said that previously there had only been so-called alternative prison sentences that protesters had to serve if they had not paid a fine.
According to his own statements, 69-year-old Braig from Allgäu was sentenced by the Passau District Court to a five-month suspended prison sentence. But because he refused to pay the probation measure of 500 euros, the Passau prosecutor’s office summoned him to Kempten prison for five months, the 69-year-old said.
According to him, the background would be two sit-ins in Passau in March 2023. There he was stuck on the street with other protesters. The next day, the group repeated the action elsewhere in Passau. In total, on both days, it blocked traffic for an hour and a half.
Braig said he understood the court’s decision on a legal level. But he stressed: “I don’t blame myself. I didn’t do anything wrong. And what the judges do, they have to decide for themselves.”
First prison sentence
The activist’s spokesperson Bergemann described the verdict as a “gross and excessive reaction” by the judiciary. In particular, the summons shortly before the start of the Christmas amnesty is incomprehensible. During this period, from just before Christmas until early January, no arrest citations would normally be issued.
For several years the latest generation has been making headlines with controversial actions such as road or airport blockades. In several investigations across the Republic, lawyers also question whether the group is a criminal organization.
“Even if I were convicted here, I’m sure there will be other times where these sentences, this procedure will have a different outcome,” Braig said. There were also the first acquittals, he said. “There are a lot of attitudes where the Court then recognizes, ‘Oops, these are really big and important things about the climate emergency, where it just needs to be clearly said: enough, we need to do something different.’ “
Braig: “It’s not child’s play”
Braig said he already has respect for the time ahead. “It’s not easy to stay for five months. I know that I certainly find myself in situations where I ask myself the question, ‘Why me and why do I have to do this?’ But I think it’s necessary. And I hope to do it well, well.”
To celebrate the 69-year-old’s incarceration, Last Generation organized a vigil outside Kempten Prison. About 50 members of the group were present. Several tearful people gave speeches and bid farewell to Braig. “You are not alone,” the group shouted in unison as the 69-year-old headed towards the penitentiary.
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