2023-12-04 21:06:54
Climate protection activists who cause traffic jams through road blockages have so far had little to fear from criminal prosecution in Austria. Unlike in Germany, where several courts have already sentenced so-called climate gluers to sometimes considerable penalties for coercion, the coercion paragraph is interpreted more narrowly there.
It caused even more of a stir when it became known on Monday that the Vienna public prosecutor’s office was investigating the climate protection group “Last Generation” on suspicion of forming a criminal organization. A spokeswoman confirmed that the proceedings were being carried out against several members. The organization itself and several other Austrian environmental protection associations sharply criticized the alleged “criminalization of peaceful protests.” However, applause came from the Christian Democratic party ÖVP and the right-wing FPÖ.
The fact that the law enforcement authorities are examining a new legal assessment is due to the fact that activists have used a new technique that has already brought them criminal charges of serious damage to property. In the past two weeks, some people had used glue to stick themselves to the streets, which they wanted to block as an expression of their protest against the emission of greenhouse gases. These adhesives can usually be removed without leaving any residue. Rather, they had used a mixture of sand and quick-release glue to “fix themselves in concrete,” so to speak. In order to remove the blockers without injuring people, they were “chiseled out” of the road using heavy equipment. This happened, among other things, during rush hour on the southern motorway near Vienna and on the busy ring road in the center of the Austrian capital in front of the parliament.
“Climate Shakira” in the center of attention
“The protests have reached a new level,” is the preliminary assessment by the public prosecutor’s office, as reported by the spokeswoman. Motorways and traffic junctions were badly damaged. These are parts of the critical infrastructure. The public prosecutor’s office pointed out that the definition of a criminal organization according to the Austrian Criminal Code is based, among other things, on the commission of “non-minor damage to property”. The individual activists were also charged with serious damage to property.
It was not announced how many people are being investigated. The Austria Press Agency quoted the organization “Last Generation” as saying that there were 23 people so far. After the action in front of parliament, the public prosecutor’s office had already imposed pre-trial detention on an activist for serious damage to property. The German, who lives in Austria, had already achieved some notoriety and was known on the boulevards as “Climate Shakira” because of her hairstyle. The “Last Generation” criticized the procedure and stated that they could have been removed from the road with acetone without damaging it. The Vienna regional court rejected the application for pre-trial detention because there were “less severe means” to ensure the possible prosecution of the Germans.
Several environmental protection organizations said they “strongly condemn the criminalization of peaceful protest and, based on the information available, view the prosecutor’s actions as excessive and disproportionate.” They pointed out that freedom of assembly and the opportunity to protest are a fundamental right of democracy. The “Last Generation” announced that it would “continue the actions until the government begins to implement the recommendations of the Climate Council”.
A comment from Lukas Fuhr Published/Updated: Recommendations: 14 Jakob Krembzow Published/Updated: Recommendations: 10 Lukas Fuhr Published/Updated: Recommendations: 10
The ruling ÖVP party and the opposition FPÖ, however, welcomed the prosecutor’s actions. The ÖVP chairman and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated that he found it “right and important that the rule of law actually sends a strong signal here.” The form of the protest does the “important concern of climate protection” a disservice. Now with all the constitutional consequences took action against “those who ignore everything, who believe that no rules apply to them, and who have burdened tens of thousands of people.”
The FPÖ General Secretary Christian Hafenecker described the investigation as “long overdue.” At the same time, he put pressure on the ÖVP and especially Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to no longer show consideration for the Green coalition partner and to take tough action. The ÖVP has “the political one in the Greens “The arm of the ‘climate terrorists’ has been hoisted onto the government bench,” said Hafenecker.
#Vienna #prosecutors #investigating #climate #adhesives