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Activists of the »Last Generation« protest at the airport in Düsseldorf

Photo: FRIEDEMANN VOGEL / EPA

The climate protection group "Last Generation" is apparently planning nationwide protests this Friday. The reason for this was the insufficient use of the federal government for less climate-damaging greenhouse gases, especially in transport, said a spokesman at the request of the dpa news agency.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) did not present an immediate programme to comply with the maximum quantities set out in the Climate Protection Act, despite being legally obliged to do so. "There will be a special protest picture tomorrow that makes the government's violation of the law transparent," the spokesman said. When and where actions will take place has not been specifically communicated.

On Thursday morning, activists of the group had gained access to the airports in Düsseldorf and Hamburg and temporarily paralyzed air traffic with blockades in the middle of the holiday season. For months, it has been a common form of protest for the group that activists glue themselves to streets or buildings or spray buildings or the like with paint. Those affected by the protests are reacting increasingly aggressively to the activists. At a climate protest in Stralsund in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an activist was hit by a truck on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Wissing said of the ministry's efforts that the Federal Cabinet had set the course for a reform of the Climate Protection Act in June and had also presented a draft climate protection programme. It provides for far-reaching measures for the transport sector. It is the "common view" of the Federal Government that the Ministry of Transport has thus fulfilled its obligation to submit additional climate protection measures.

In 2022, the legally prescribed amount of greenhouse gases had been exceeded in the transport and building sectors. According to the current Climate Protection Act, the responsible ministries must submit immediate programmes for improvements. The deadline for this is July 17.

ani/dpa