Tens of thousands of German students and their supporters prepare for the next Fridays for Future day of action on Fridays. The organizers are expecting 50,000 participants in Berlin alone. This event (F4F) will take place on November 29th in 513 cities throughout Germany and in many other countries. While Christmas shopping in retail stores will be a popular activity for some, students, parents, teachers, scientists and other groups want to demonstrate against climate change on the streets of Berlin.
Fridays for Future – rally at the Brandenburg Gate
The movement of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who is crossing the Atlantic on a catamaran,calls for more actionfor climate protection in Berlin. The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel also recently pushed the so-called climate package through the Berlin Bundestag. However, the measures contained therein are not sufficient for F4F.
“There is no second planet!” says the German division of Fridays for Future on its social media channels. “That’s why it would be better if you join our fourth global climate action.” It was important to defend ourselves against climate change. “Enough with these empty promises in politics. We must act now,” the movement declared.
In Berlin, the rally begins at noon at the Brandenburg Gate. After a few lectures, the participants will walk through the city center of the German capital. The route includes Ebertstrasse, Behrenstrasse, Reichstagsufer, Friedrichstrasse, Luisenstrasse, Marshall Bridge, Dorotheenstrasse and Yitzhak-Rabin-Strasse. After the protesters go through all these streets, they return to the Brandenburg Gate.
Severe traffic disruptions
Severe traffic disruptions for Berliners and visitors are to be expected in the Berlin districts of Tiergarten and Mitte. The police will close parts of the city center from 12:00 this morning. The use of the subway is recommended for Berliners and visitors who want to travel to the areas affected by the big day of action.
The much more radical organization Extinction Rebellion in Germany announced that it would be part of tomorrow's “Climate Strike” without mentioning Fridays for Future. In several German cities, the movement joined “in demonstration blocks”.
In its most recent statement, Extinction Rebellion Germany distanced itself from its co-founder Roger Hallam, who appeared to downplay the Holocaust as “just another fireworks display in human history” in an interview with the German weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. “Any downplaying of the Holocaust contradicts the principles and values of Extinction Rebellion,” the statement said.
“Phase of reflection”
The movement was in a phase of inference, continuing to explain and intending to emerge stronger. In Berlin and elsewhere, Extinction Rebellion is now organizing so-called “onboardings” in which more people are supposed to become “rebels”.
While the majority of Berliners support Fridays for the Future, most residents reject Extinction Rebellion's approach. In October, the radical movement blocked several bridges, intersections and streets in the German capital for several days. The participants chained themselves to guardrails on the street and kept the police busy for a week.
