The Berlin police fear that the climate protection groups who have blocked the autobahns in recent weeks will continue to radicalize themselves. “What worries us are the clear statements by the activists that they are looking at critical infrastructure such as airports, ports and energy companies,” said Deputy Chief of Police Marco Langner on Monday in the Interior Committee of the House of Representatives. The police are preparing accordingly.
Such an action by a climate protection group, which calls itself “uprising of the last generation”, already existed on Monday morning in Hamburg. Members blocked roads to the port of Hamburg. The group calls for a “food rescue law” and an agricultural turnaround to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture. Since the end of January, the group had repeatedly blocked freeways such as the A100 in Berlin. The police initiated more than 200 investigations, including for coercion and serious intervention in road traffic.
As it became known on Monday, the State Criminal Police Office set up its own investigation group, the “EG Asphalt”, to bundle the investigations. According to their own statements, the police are taking tough action against the blockers. Because 80 percent of the perpetrators identified come from other federal states, the Berlin police are trying to ensure that the persons concerned are subject to conditions and have to report regularly to the police. “The feedback from the other federal states is still pending,” said Langner. In addition, activists would be visited at home in order to make it clear to them in threat speeches what danger they would be in with these actions. In addition, the Senate administration wants to change the police usage fee regulations. This should make it possible to charge the blockers for the costs of the police operations.
In the past few weeks, some planned blockades have been prevented. According to Langner, the police have repeatedly posted themselves at motorway exits and observed them. “So demonstrators practically ran into our hands.” However, it is hardly possible to completely prevent blockade actions because these actions are usually prepared in a conspiratorial manner. The blockers would often have glued themselves to the road with their hands or feet so that they could no longer free themselves. Even very few activists would require the use of many police officers.
“The fact that there have not been any major accidents is also due to the fact that drivers are very considerate,” he said. But there was an accident. An ambulance with blue lights and a patient on board was delayed for about ten minutes.