Fifteen properties across seven German states were searched as part of an investigation into whether the German climate protest group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) is a criminal organization. 170 police officers took part in the raids against the activist group, which aims to use civil disobedience to draw attention to a lack of government attention to the climate crisis.
The group has previously gone on hunger strikes outside of the German capitol, thrown mashed potatoes at a Monet painting, and glued themselves to roads and runways to disrupt traffic, among other tactics. In a news conference Letzte Generation spokesperson Aimée van Baalen said “the need to resist is not diminished by criminalization,” adding that activists will continue to exercise their right to peacefully protest.(AP, BBC, NBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN, Washington Post $, Bloomberg $), Politico $)