Source: AFP
Police on Thursday arrested climate activists who stuck to the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest airport, forcing it to temporarily suspend arrivals and departures.
Traffic was halted during the busy summer holiday period for two hours before the first of the airport’s runways could reopen at 05:02 GMT, an airport spokesman said.
Passengers were told to check the status of their flights, while the airport ramped up operations again.
Seven of the activists managed to reach the runway where they got stuck on the tarmac, a police spokesman said. The eighth was still trying to get over the perimeter fence when he was detained.
The police operation to remove activists from the restricted areas of the airport was ongoing, the spokesman added. All eight were arrested.
According to the climate activist group “Letzte Generation” which claimed the civil disobedience action, its members had used pliers to cut openings in the wire fence before making their way “on foot, on bicycles and on skateboards at different points around the corridors”.
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A photo released by the group depicted a protester sitting on the tarmac with an orange “oil kills” banner.
The group is pushing for a binding international agreement that would end the use of oil, natural gas and coal by 2030.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing condemned the protests on Thursday as “criminal” actions and called for severe penalties against the activists.
“Climate activists are obviously seeking to cause maximum damage. Lawmakers must react with the utmost seriousness,” he told German media, calling for jail terms of up to five years for those who invade airports.
“Anyone who forcibly enters airports, occupies runways and blocks planes puts human lives at risk,” he said.
Coordinated action
Thursday’s protest action came a day after similar operations at several European airports.
Letzte Generation activists blocked traffic at the Cologne-Bonn airport for several hours on Wednesday by sticking to the tarmac.
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Several climate protesters were also arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The protest organizers are part of the A22 Network of groups committed to nonviolent climate protests, which said they planned to disrupt airports in several countries in the coming months.
Demonstrations were planned in Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, the United States and Norway, UK-based activists from the alliance told AFP earlier in July.
Global aviation accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions, more than the annual carbon footprint of Brazil and France combined.
The Last Generation is known for spectacular protests — from throwing mashed potatoes at paintings in museums to sticking to busy streets.
Their tactics, which proved deeply divisive, led to the conviction of some of their members.
“Instead of seeking tougher penalties, politicians should take seriously the scale of the disaster they are fueling,” said Lisa Johnson, a spokeswoman for the group.
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“Prison sentences will not protect us from heat waves, droughts, floods and dramatic sea level rise,” he warned.
Letzte Generation said it will hold demonstrations from September 25 against planned state subsidies for Kassel-Calden airport.
Source: AFP
