Of . – 07/11/2022 12:42 (act. 07/11/2022 17:03)
‘Last generation’ activists arrested on the street in Graz. ©Portal/Christian Mang (image of symbol)
There was a debut in Graz earlier in the week: after actions in Vienna, activists of the “last generation” took to the road in the Styrian capital for the first time on Monday morning to stop the “destruction of fossils”. .
Protesters stopped traffic at Joanneumring “peacefully and resolutely with their bodies to demand the simplest of all simple austerity measures: 100 km/h on the autobahn”, according to a broadcast.
Graz: activists arrested on the street
“I stayed on the road today because I don’t know what else to do. The scientific facts have been clear for decades, and our government has so far failed to implement even the simplest of all simple measures. 100 km/h on the highway costs practically nothing and saves us 460,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. Nehammer and Kogler are slowly running out of excuses,” said activist Leon Ranz.
A spokesperson for “Last Generation” recently announced to the APA that the group’s protest would be moved from Vienna to the federal states until at least January 9. In addition to Graz, “last generation” offshoots have also formed in Linz and Innsbruck, which will soon be able to block roads.
Political disputes over the actions of climate activists have intensified
The “Last Generation” group had recently caused a stir, especially in Germany, with road traffic blocks and attacks on famous paintings. However, political wrangling over the actions of climate activists has intensified since a cyclist was run over by a concrete mixer during a protest blockade in Berlin last week. A special fire department vehicle got stuck in a traffic jam on Monday because of the blockage and therefore arrived late at the crash site. Berlin police have brought criminal charges against two protesters, including for failing to provide assistance. The cyclist did not survive her injuries in hospital on Thursday.
Climate protest “no popularity contest”
The climate protest is “not a popularity contest” according to Austria’s “Last Generation”. But there has always been great encouragement in the protests.