A manhunt has been conducted in Germany for members of the Last Generation (Letzte Generation) radical climate activism organization resulting in the charging of seven people with the founding or supporting of a criminal organization.
On orders from the Bavarian Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Munich prosecutor’s office, fifteen sites in seven German states, including Berlin and Bavaria, were raided.
Preliminary information showed the operation proceeded peacefully. Four facilities were searched in Berlin, and three each in Bavaria and Hesse. Police operations also took place in Hamburg, Magdeburg, Dresden and Schleswig-Holstein. Nearly 170 security force officers took part nationwide.
On the order of the prosecutor, the group’s website was blocked and shut down, a police spokesman explained. In addition, the group’s bank accounts and assets were confiscated.
The reason for Wednesday’s action was an investigation into suspected crimes committed by members of the climate activist group, the LKA spokesman reported. The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation “in connection with numerous reports of crime… against a total of seven suspects between the ages of 22 and 38 on charges of creating or supporting a criminal organization.” Notices in the case had been coming in since mid-2022.
“The defendants organized a fundraising campaign for the Last Generation to finance ‘other crimes’, announced it on their website, through which they raised at least 1.4 million euros in donations. The money was mainly used to commit further crimes. The origin of the money is also under investigation,” the spokesman said.
According to LKA, two people are also suspected of attempting to sabotage the Trieste-Ingolstadt oil pipeline in April 2022.
Climate activists of the Last Generation have been carrying out controversial protests in Germany and other European countries for months, such as gluing themselves to the blacktop to block traffic and dousing artworks in galleries with liquid substances.
“With their protests, the Last Generation wants to force the federal government to adopt a tougher climate policy. The activists are demanding, among other things, a speed limit of 100 km/h on highways and the permanent introduction of a EUR 9 ticket for public transport,” Die Zeit weekly portal recalled.