(Berlin) Climate activists sparked outrage among German politicians on Saturday after spraying black liquid on a monument inscribed with the articles of the constitution near the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin. Berlin.
“A monument with our constitution has been stained. This makes me angry and I have no understanding” vis-à-vis the approach, said the Social Democratic President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, in a press release.
Earlier, the “Letzte Generation” (Last Generation) group, which is behind many punch actions to raise awareness about global warming, posted a video on social media showing people in orange safety vests spraying a black liquid some of the 19 glass panels three meters high on which are engraved the articles of the constitution.
They then pasted posters flanked by the slogan “Oil or constitutional rights? “. The nature of the liquid is not yet identified, police said.
Six activists participated, their identity was noted and complaints were filed, a spokeswoman for the police told AFP.
The monument, named “Grungesetz 49” in reference to the constitutional law implemented in West Germany in 1949, is the work of Israeli visual artist Dani Karavan.
Activists say they want to protest Germany’s continued use of fossil fuels, and remind the government of its constitutional duty to act urgently on global warming as the country aims for climate neutrality only in 2045 .
Whatever message is supposed to be linked to the smearing of the monument, “it can only be bad”, tackled the Liberal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann on twitter.
“The constitution embodies freedom, democracy and the rule of law. It should never be defiled” for whatever reason, he said.
The Greens, government allies of the Social Democrats and Liberals, also strongly condemned the action, as did the opposition Conservatives.
The “Letzte Generation” group has attracted attention in recent months with several actions of civil disobedience, blocking major roads or throwing different substances on paintings in museums.
Their initiatives could have legal consequences with the opening at the end of 2022, by a regional prosecutor’s office, of an investigation against activists “suspected of forming or supporting a criminal organization”.
