Keystone-SDA
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September 20, 2024 – 9:31 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) A new “climate strike”, to which young Germans were called on Friday, brought together tens of thousands of demonstrators in the country, far from the record mobilizations of past years.
A leader of the Fridays for Future movement, which initiated the protests, said she was concerned about a “step backwards” in climate policies.
According to the organisation, more than 75,000 people in total took part in the rallies, which took place in more than a hundred cities, including Berlin, Bonn and Munich.
For the past five years, Germany has been one of the strongholds of the “Fridays for Future” movement and its “climate strikes”, which saw nearly a million and a half demonstrators take to the streets at the height of the protests.
In various marches on Friday, protesters called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to abandon oil, coal and gas and end investments in fossil fuels.
“Let’s save our future”
Some held up signs reading “Save our future” or “The climate crisis is here.”
“We are seeing a step backwards” in climate policy, Carla Reemtsma, spokesperson for Fridays for Future Germany, warned on Bavarian public radio.
While Olaf Scholz’s coalition includes Green ministers, Germany’s Green party is at rock bottom in the polls and suffered major defeats in recent regional and European elections in Germany.
Friday’s protests came days after Storm Boris swept through central Europe, causing torrential rain and flooding and killing 24 people.
“We have to make the connection, these serious floods are simply more frequent because of climate change,” said Sebastian Bock, a protester in Berlin.
“It can be a way to make people more sensitive” to the issues of climate policies, he says.
Climate change caused by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as torrential rains and floods, experts say.
