Last week in Germany, climate change activists known as the Last Generation carried out a series of stunts, one of which involved protesters gluing themselves to runways at two major airports. This act led to a traffic shutdown and the cancellation of numerous flights in both Hamburg and Dusseldorf. In the latter city, seven members of the group managed to breach a security fence before adhering themselves to the tarmac. These actions are part of a string of protests, with the activists previously defacing famous art pieces to draw attention to their cause.
On Thursday morning in Hamburg, nine trespassers participated in the protest, with eight of them choosing to attach themselves to the runway using glue. As a result of their actions, one of the protesters was arrested. According to one member of the group, they felt compelled to take action because they could no longer stand idly by as they believed their government worsened the climate crisis daily through their reliance on fossil fuels. Blocking the airport was their way of expressing their concern about the Earth’s degradation.
“Why the protest at the airport? If not at an airport, where is the right place to protest the destruction of our livelihoods?” the group stated.
The group further emphasized that the world is currently in a critical state, likening it to a blazing fire, and they view themselves as the final generation with the opportunity to act and make a difference, likening it to holding a fire extinguisher.
The demonstration had a significant impact on air travel, affecting a total of 46 flights departing from Hamburg.
A Vincent Van Gogh painting on display in Rome came under attack from Italian environmental activists who threw pea soup on it before gluing themselves to the wall of the gallery in protest https://t.co/tWwez8LrTk pic.twitter.com/CrJRoFyywq
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 4, 2022
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing criticized the Last Generation’s actions, stating that they are not simply protecting the climate but rather engaging in unlawful behavior.
In the past year, climate change activists resorted to defacing various artworks on display as part of their protest against the climate crisis.
During an incident at the National Gallery in London, activists launched an attack by splashing tomato soup on a Vincent van Gogh painting. Subsequently, two individuals involved in the act were apprehended by the authorities. The group responsible for this vandalism was identified as Just Stop Oil.
In a separate incident in June of the previous year, a different set of protesters from Just Stop Oil glued their hands to another van Gogh painting displayed at a different gallery in London.
