Climate Activists Cause Traffic Paralysis by Pressing Roads with Glue on Their Hands

Climate Activists 'Glue Themselves to Road' in Berlin, Germany
More Than 15 Ambulances Struggle to Reach the Scene

Climate activists belonging to the German environmental group 'Letzte Generation (Last Generation)' stormed into more than 30 major roads in central Berlin and staged a protest by gluing their hands to the roads with adhesive.

On the 24th (local time) in Berlin, Germany, police removed the hands of activists from the climate movement group "Letzte Generation," who had glued their hands to the road during a protest. On this day, the activists held a demonstration demanding speed limits on highways and reduced public transportation fares. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Associated Press and others on the 24th (local time), 'Last Generation' activists demanded government-level measures against climate change by gluing their bodies to more than 30 major roads in central Berlin using strong adhesive. This temporarily paralyzed traffic on major roads including the Berlin city highway, and drivers who were unable to move strongly protested against them.

About 500 police officers were deployed for the protest, and the police arrested more than 40 people, including the climate activists glued to the roads. In particular, at Ernst-Reuter Square in downtown Berlin, the police had to cut out part of the road to separate the climate activists from the road.

According to the fire department, more than 15 ambulances had difficulty reaching the scene due to the protest. As bus and car operations were disrupted, clashes also occurred, including an incident where a citizen assaulted a climate activist.

In Berlin, Germany, activists from the 'Last Generation' staged a protest blocking the highway. Due to this protest, an ambulance was trapped in traffic congestion and could not move at all.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Earlier, 'Last Generation' had announced, "We will paralyze Berlin, the capital of Germany, until our demands for climate change response are accepted."

In a press release on the day, they said, "We will no longer stand by as the government fails to uphold the constitution and does not prepare plans to stop the destruction of the basic conditions for our lives," adding, "We will resist."

In response, Steffen Hebestreit, spokesperson for the German government, said, "We obviously do not support this form of protest," and pointed out, "The German government has taken more measures for climate protection than any previous government. While there are opportunities for criticism in parliamentary democracy, it is doubtful that massive disruption of public order contributes to this."

Activists belonging to the 'Last Generation' occupied the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival held in Berlin, Germany, on February 16 (local time).
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

This is not the first time 'Last Generation' has staged such radical protests. In February, they stormed the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world's top three film festivals, and glued their hands as a performance.

Lisa Winkelmann (20), an activist who participated in the protest at that time, said, "We are heading toward an unimaginable catastrophe," and pointed out, "Our society can no longer ignore the impending collapse." Another activist, Rafael Pelmi (26), said, "Events like the Berlin Film Festival tempt us to look away from the danger," adding, "However, if we continue to live as we do now without change, such events will not be able to take place in the future."

Meanwhile, climate activists are adopting increasingly radical protest methods to raise awareness of the severity of the climate crisis. This is because ordinary methods cannot awaken awareness of the seriousness of the climate crisis. However, as protest methods such as road occupation and food throwing become more intense, critical opinions toward them are emerging in various places.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.