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{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
The '''Last Generation''' (German: '''{{Lang|de|Letzte Generation}}''', {{IPA-de|ˈlɛt͡stə ˌɡeːnəʁaˈt͡sjoːn|pron}}, Italian: {{Lang|it|'''Ultima Generazione'''}}) is a group of [[climate change activism|climate change activists]] mostly active in Germany, Italy, and Austria. They stage road blockades (276 in Germany over the course of 2022),<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Kühn |first=Timm |date=2022-12-27 |title=Verdacht auf kriminelle Vereinigung: Selbstanklage für den Klimaschutz |language=de |work=[[Die Tageszeitung|Die Tageszeitung: taz]] |url=https://taz.de/!5901388/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref> and spray-paint private jets, yachts and expensive paintings.
The '''Last Generation''' (German: '''{{Lang|de|Letzte Generation}}''', {{IPA-de|ˈlɛt͡stə ˌɡeːnəʁaˈt͡sjoːn|pron}}, Italian: {{Lang|it|'''Ultima Generazione'''}}) is a group of [[climate change activism|climate change activists]] mostly active in Germany, Italy, and Austria. Over the course of their existence, they have staged road blockades (276 in Germany over the course of 2022),<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Kühn |first=Timm |date=2022-12-27 |title=Verdacht auf kriminelle Vereinigung: Selbstanklage für den Klimaschutz |language=de |work=[[Die Tageszeitung|Die Tageszeitung: taz]] |url=https://taz.de/!5901388/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref> and used paint to vandalize yachts, notorious paintings, buildings, restaurants and a private jet.


In Rome, they threw soup at a [[Vincent van Gogh|van Gogh]] painting behind glass, called {{Ill|Seminatore al tramonto|lt=The Sower|it}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=Ultima Generazione imbratta "Il seminatore" di Van Gogh |url=https://www.lanotiziagiornale.it/ultima-generazione-imbratta-il-seminatore-di-van-gogh/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=LA NOTIZIA |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Mark |date=2022-11-04 |title=Climate activists throw soup at Van Gogh painting in Rome |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/11/04/van-goghs-the-sower-latest-painting-to-be-targeted-by-climate-activists |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=euronews}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=Last Generation climate change protesters throw soup at Vincent Van Gogh painting |url=https://nypost.com/2022/11/04/last-generation-climate-change-protestors-throw-soup-at-vincent-van-gogh-painting/ |work=New York Post|agency=Reuters|access-date=2023-01-13}}</ref> In [[Potsdam]], they threw mashed potatoes onto a [[Claude Monet|Monet]] painting.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kühn |first=Timm |date=2022-10-24 |title=Letzte Generation bewirft Monet-Bild: Was kommt nach der Aufmerksamkeit? |language=de |work=[[Die Tageszeitung|Die Tageszeitung: taz]] |url=https://taz.de/!5886956/ |access-date=2023-02-20 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref> None of the artworks they attacked were damaged.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-17 |title=German Last Generation group not a threat to democracy |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-last-generation-group-not-a-threat-to-democracy/a-63789202 |access-date=2023-02-20 |work=Deutsche Welle}}</ref> Their [[civil disobedience]] methods, such as desecrating artworks or blocking roads, have met with mixed reactions from the public,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connolly |first=Kate |date=2023-05-24 |title=German police stage nationwide raids against climate activists |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/24/german-police-stage-nationwide-raids-against-climate-activists |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> including expressions of outrage<ref>{{Cite web |last=Letzte Generation |title=Letzte Generation 🧡 - Lasst uns Klartext reden! |url=https://letztegeneration.de/en/ |url-status=live |access-date=2022-12-28}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> and threats of violence.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-22 |title=Schmerzgriffe und Selbstjustiz gegen die «Letzte Generation» - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung |url=https://www.rosalux.de/news/id/50463/schmerzgriffe-und-selbstjustiz-gegen-die-letzte-generation |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=www.rosalux.de |language=de-DE}}</ref>
In Rome, they threw soup at a [[Vincent van Gogh|van Gogh]] painting behind glass, called {{Ill|Seminatore al tramonto|lt=The Sower|it}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=Ultima Generazione imbratta "Il seminatore" di Van Gogh |url=https://www.lanotiziagiornale.it/ultima-generazione-imbratta-il-seminatore-di-van-gogh/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=LA NOTIZIA |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Mark |date=2022-11-04 |title=Climate activists throw soup at Van Gogh painting in Rome |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/11/04/van-goghs-the-sower-latest-painting-to-be-targeted-by-climate-activists |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=euronews}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=Last Generation climate change protesters throw soup at Vincent Van Gogh painting |url=https://nypost.com/2022/11/04/last-generation-climate-change-protestors-throw-soup-at-vincent-van-gogh-painting/ |work=New York Post|agency=Reuters|access-date=2023-01-13}}</ref> In [[Potsdam]], they threw mashed potatoes onto a [[Claude Monet|Monet]] painting.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kühn |first=Timm |date=2022-10-24 |title=Letzte Generation bewirft Monet-Bild: Was kommt nach der Aufmerksamkeit? |language=de |work=[[Die Tageszeitung|Die Tageszeitung: taz]] |url=https://taz.de/!5886956/ |access-date=2023-02-20 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref> None of the artworks they attacked were damaged.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-17 |title=German Last Generation group not a threat to democracy |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-last-generation-group-not-a-threat-to-democracy/a-63789202 |access-date=2023-02-20 |work=Deutsche Welle}}</ref> Their [[civil disobedience]] methods, such as desecrating artworks or blocking roads, have met with mixed reactions from the public,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connolly |first=Kate |date=2023-05-24 |title=German police stage nationwide raids against climate activists |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/24/german-police-stage-nationwide-raids-against-climate-activists |access-date=2023-06-01 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> including expressions of outrage<ref>{{Cite web |last=Letzte Generation |title=Letzte Generation 🧡 - Lasst uns Klartext reden! |url=https://letztegeneration.de/en/ |url-status=live |access-date=2022-12-28}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> and threats of violence.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-22 |title=Schmerzgriffe und Selbstjustiz gegen die «Letzte Generation» - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung |url=https://www.rosalux.de/news/id/50463/schmerzgriffe-und-selbstjustiz-gegen-die-letzte-generation |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=www.rosalux.de |language=de-DE}}</ref>

Revision as of 16:29, 9 July 2023

Road blocks at Berlin Central station (2022)
Cessna CJ1, the type of private jet Letzte Generation sprayed with orange paint on Sylt in 2023

The Last Generation (German: Letzte Generation, pronounced [ˈlɛt͡stə ˌɡeːnəʁaˈt͡sjoːn], Italian: Ultima Generazione) is a group of climate change activists mostly active in Germany, Italy, and Austria. Over the course of their existence, they have staged road blockades (276 in Germany over the course of 2022),[1] and used paint to vandalize yachts, notorious paintings, buildings, restaurants and a private jet.

In Rome, they threw soup at a van Gogh painting behind glass, called The Sower [it].[2][3][4] In Potsdam, they threw mashed potatoes onto a Monet painting.[5] None of the artworks they attacked were damaged.[6] Their civil disobedience methods, such as desecrating artworks or blocking roads, have met with mixed reactions from the public,[7] including expressions of outrage[8][6] and threats of violence.[9]

The group was formed by participants of the 2021 Hungerstreik der letzten Generation [de] which had blockaded highways in Berlin. They chose their name to signal that Earth is approaching climate tipping points, and that their generation is the last one that can prevent climate collapse.[10]

Goals and topics

The group states that there is a climate emergency, and demands that citizens decide their own future by implementing society councils, while the cost of solving the climate crisis should not be borne by workers, but rather by the rich. The group demands a debt cut and payments to states of the Global South as compensation for climate change.[11]

In early 2023, the group declared parliamentarian democracy to be unfit for dealing with the climate crisis and demanded the implementation of "Society councils" to work out emergency measures. The members of those councils should be selected by sortition from various backgrounds and age classes. Existing conventional political institutions would be obliged to implement the councils' decisions exactly as agreed.[12][13]

Methods

A Freiburg emergency doctor uses solving agent to remove the palm of a Last Generation activist from street asphalt. The back of the activist's hand shows text about the glue (2022).

The Last Generation's main method is road blockades,[14][15][16] while at the beginning of the movement, the group also frequently distributed food from dumpsters for free.[17]

The group also used paint to vandalise property. An example of this is their vandalism actions in Sylt, where the group used paint on several buildings and a private jet.[18]

History of actions

The Last Generation state that they performed 370 actions between January and October 2022.[19]

Grainstacks, 1890, Hasso Plattner Collection, on permanent loan at the Museum Barberini, Potsdam (sold for $110.7 million on Sotheby's May 14, 2019) W1273
An Aztec private jet of the type vandalised by Letzte Generation in Berlin in May 2023

In October 2022, two Last Generation activists threw mashed potatoes at a Monet painting behind glass, titled Grainstacks.[20] The painting is part of the impressionism collection of Hasso Plattner, a German billionaire, at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany.[21] Plattner reportedly paid 111 million euros for the painting in 2019.[1] The painting was left undamaged. However, the museum stated that the frame was damaged, and estimated that its restoration would incur a five-figure cost in euros.[22]

Similarly, in November 2022, the Last Generation threw soup at 'The Sower' by Vincent van Gogh, also behind glass, at the Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome, Italy. The painting, which was on loan from the Dutch Kröller-Müller Museum, suffered no damage,[2][3][4] like another van Gogh painting targeted by a similar protest by Just Stop Oil two weeks earlier in London.[23]

In February 2023, motorists attempted to remove Last Generation protesters from a motorway near the event venue ICC Berlin, with one car driver running over a protester's foot. The police were at the scene[24] and initiated criminal proceedings against the driver, on suspicion of simple bodily harm.[25]

In April 2023, the group protested at the Berlin ePrix, a Formula E electric car race, by gluing themselves to the track and support vehicles right before the start.[26] That same month, the use by police of pain compliance techniques to disperse a Letzte Generation road blockade came under public and legal scrutiny in Germany.[27][9]

In May 2023, Letzte Generation spray-painted a Piper PA-23 'Aztec' private jet at Berlin airport.[28] In the same month, in Vienna, an emergency patient died in congestion caused by the group. A speaker of the group stated that it had made the mistake of not informing the ambulance service centre.[29]

On 23 May 2023, two activists from the group poured mud over themselves outside the Senate building in Rome to protest fossil fuel use. They also drew attention to the devastating effects of floods linked to climate change, such as those which had recently hit the Emilia-Romagna region. The group had previously poured black liquid into the Trevi Fountain in Rome and glued themselves to a piece of art in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.[30]

First note from the Munich General Prosecutor's Office, described the group as 'criminal'. That wording was later removed.

In May 2023, 170 police officers conducted raids on flats around Germany, arresting activists, shutting down the group's website, and freezing accounts linked to the group.[31] The authorities claimed the group was using the website to raise funds for "further criminal acts", stating at least 1.4 million euros had been collected.[32] Two of the group's members were alleged to have planned an attack on an oil pipeline in Bavaria.[33]

During June 2023, the group performed vandalism on the wealthy island of Sylt. They most notably sprayed orange paint onto a private jet (make Cessna CJ1+)[28], as well as several buildings.[34][35] In the same month, Letzte Generation spray-painted the Lady M, a 30-metre private yacht of a German company owner on the German Baltic coast.[36] The yacht was designed for a crew of four staff members and six guests, and comes with a 29,000-litre fuel tank.[37]

On 25 June 2023, the Munich public prosecutor's office confirmed that German investigators have been tapping and monitoring several communications from the climate activist group, following revelations in the German press about the case.[38]

Funding

In late 2022, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that the Last Generation pays its activists up to 1,300 euros per month. The money is paid out by an organisation called "Wandelbündnis" in Berlin, but originates from the Climate Emergency Fund in the United States.[39]

Last Generation (Germany, Austria, and Italy) are part of the A22 network funded by the Climate Emergency Fund,[40][41] together with Renovate Switzerland, Dernière Rénovation [fr] in France, Just Stop Oil in the UK (Stopp oljeletinga [no] in Norway), and other groups in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and the US.[40]

Controversy

Two Last Generation activists did not appear in court in Bad Cannstatt in early 2023. They were on trial for blocking a federal highway in late 2022. News reports emerged that they had flown to Bali on holiday. However, the Last Generation issued a statement pointing out that their members had actually travelled to Thailand and that this had been agreed to by the court. They booked the flights as private individuals, not as activists, the group said. These two things should be treated differently, the statement went on.[42][43]

References

  1. ^ a b Kühn, Timm (2022-12-27). "Verdacht auf kriminelle Vereinigung: Selbstanklage für den Klimaschutz". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  2. ^ a b "Ultima Generazione imbratta "Il seminatore" di Van Gogh". LA NOTIZIA (in Italian). 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  3. ^ a b Armstrong, Mark (2022-11-04). "Climate activists throw soup at Van Gogh painting in Rome". euronews. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  4. ^ a b "Last Generation climate change protesters throw soup at Vincent Van Gogh painting". New York Post. Reuters. 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  5. ^ Kühn, Timm (2022-10-24). "Letzte Generation bewirft Monet-Bild: Was kommt nach der Aufmerksamkeit?". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  6. ^ a b "German Last Generation group not a threat to democracy". Deutsche Welle. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  7. ^ Connolly, Kate (2023-05-24). "German police stage nationwide raids against climate activists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  8. ^ Letzte Generation. "Letzte Generation 🧡 - Lasst uns Klartext reden!". Retrieved 2022-12-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ a b "Schmerzgriffe und Selbstjustiz gegen die «Letzte Generation» - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung". www.rosalux.de (in German). 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  10. ^ Salmen, Ingo. "Blockade statt Hungerstreik: Klimaaktivisten versperren Zufahrten zu Berliner Autobahnen – 24 Festnahmen". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  11. ^ "Forderungen". Letzte Generation. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  12. ^ "Betreutes Denken: Weshalb die Letzte Generation die offene Debatte verhindert". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  13. ^ "Gesellschaftsrat + Fragen & Antworten". letztegeneration.de. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  14. ^ "Nach Gespräch mit Scholz: Klimaaktivisten drohen mit Autobahn-Blockade" (in German). Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  15. ^ "Arte Journal" (in German). Arte. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  16. ^ "Klimaschützer blockieren Straßen: 24 Menschen in Gewahrsam". RTL news (in German). RTL interactive. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  17. ^ Steiner, Cornelia (2021-12-09). "Braunschweiger verschenken gerettete Lebensmittel". braunschweiger-zeitung.de. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  18. ^ NACHRICHTEN, n-tv. "Letzte Generation besprüht Privatjet auf Sylt". n-tv.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  19. ^ "„Letzte Generation": Kunstblut, Sekundenkleber, Feueralarm: Was bringt die Welle der Klimaprote". Wirtschaftswoche (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  20. ^ "Museum Barberini | Claude Monet: Grainstacks". sammlung.museum-barberini.de. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  21. ^ "Impressionismus - Ausstellungen - Museum Barberini". www.museum-barberini.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  22. ^ "Museum Barberini schätzt Schaden an Bilderrahmen auf fünfstellige Summe". rbb (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  23. ^ Gayle, Damien (2022-10-14). "Just Stop Oil activists throw soup at Van Gogh's Sunflowers". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  24. ^ "Autofahrer fährt über Fuß von Aktivist der "Letzten Generation"". www.rbb24.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  25. ^ "Angry motorists attack Last Generation activists, driving vehicle over foot". Exberliner. 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  26. ^ Bulitta, Marco; Seiwert, Robert; Wester, Arno (2023-04-23). "Formel E Berlin: Irre! Klima-Chaoten stürmen Startaufstellung". Motorsport Magazin (in German). Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  27. ^ "Vorgehen wird geprüft: Polizei in Berlin wendet Schmerzgriff an – Klimablockierer schreit". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  28. ^ a b "Maßlose Dummheit – Letzte Generation in Berlin und Sylt - Aktuelles". www.pilotundflugzeug.de. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  29. ^ Dittrich, Robin (2023-05-17). "Rettungswagen blockiert: Mann stirbt während Klimastreik – „Letzte Generation" räumt Fehler ein". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  30. ^ "Climate activists smear themselves with mud to evoke flooding in Italy". AP News. May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  31. ^ Kirby, Paul (2023-05-24). "German climate activists raided for forming 'criminal group'". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  32. ^ "German police stage nationwide raids against climate activists". RFI. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  33. ^ Brady, Kate. "Germany conducts raids against climate activists, alleging criminality". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  34. ^ NACHRICHTEN, n-tv. "Letzte Generation besprüht Privatjet auf Sylt". n-tv.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  35. ^ NDR. "Farbattacke auf Sylter Hotel: "Letzte Generation"-Mitglieder wieder frei". www.ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  36. ^ Fuchs, Nico Binde und Burkhard (2023-06-23). "Letzte Generation: Anschlag auf Yacht von Pinneberger Unternehmerin (85)". www.abendblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  37. ^ best4u (1994-04-30). "Lady M - P580". Mulder (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-07-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Promotoria alemã confirma grampos contra ativistas do clima". G1. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  39. ^ "Wie sich die „Letzte Generation“ neue Klima-Kleber kauft" Focus 2 January 2023
  40. ^ a b "A22 Network". A22 Network. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  41. ^ "Ultima Generazione - Disobbedienza civile nonviolenta". Ultima Generazione (in Italian). 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  42. ^ Funk, Anne (2023-01-02). ""Letzte Generation"-Aktivisten verpassen Gerichtstermin wegen Bali-Urlaub". ProSieben (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  43. ^ "Letzte Generation ortet Doppelmoral nach Kritik an Fernreise". Der Standard (in German). 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aufstand der letzten Generation.
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