Five climate activists associated with the “Last Generation” movement have been charged by the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office with forming a criminal organisation.
In a statement released by Last Generation, the organisation said the charges related to “peaceful activism” come at a time when “the climate crisis is escalating and fascism overshadows our world.”
“The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office has charged five individuals for their peaceful activism with the former Last Generation,” the group said.
“They are accused of forming a criminal organisation called ‘Die Letzte Generation.'”
The group also stated that, as part of the investigation, authorities previously carried out house raids with drawn weapons, seized funds, blocked the organisation’s website, and monitored their press phone line for several months.
These remain charges and the accused are innocent until proven guilty. However, in Germany in general, if convicted of forming a criminal organisation, ringleaders can face up to five years in prison, or in some extreme cases up to ten years.
The German Bundestag’s website notes that between January 2022 and September 2023, security authorities recorded a total of 1,196 criminal offences attributed to the Last Generation movement. These offences include multiple incidents of property damage linked to climate protests, such as the defacing of buildings, blocking highways, and damage to artwork.
Between October 2021 and November 2023, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) reported 1,221 instances of property damage specifically categorised under climate-related actions.
Members of the Last Generation have been accused of engaging in various illegal acts of protest, including numerous road blockades, and vandalising yachts, buildings, restaurants, and private jets using paint. Notably, they have also glued themselves to prominent artworks and disrupted airport operations by trespassing onto runways and adhering themselves to the tarmac.
Europol’s 2023 Terrorism Situation and Trend Report identified “environmental extremism” as a growing concern, stating that “the line between environmental activism and environmental extremism is often a blurred one.” The report noted that certain narratives within environmental activism “might have the potential to incite violence among extremists.”
Environmental extremism, according to Europol, has historically involved various issues, including climate change and the management of earth resources. They also note that it has overlap with Leftwing extremism.