A radical climate group has defiled Christmas trees by spraying them with orange paint in several German cities as a protest against the government’s inaction on the climate crisis.
The group, called Last Generation, said they wanted to draw attention to the fact that the world is heading towards a catastrophe if nothing is done to stop global warming.
The group used fire extinguishers filled with paint to spray the trees in public places on Wednesday. They also uploaded photos and videos of their actions on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter. They carried signs that read “Contemplatively into disaster? Charity = climate protection” and “We are the last generation that can stop climate change”.
The group said they chose orange as the color of their protest because it represents the rising temperatures and the wildfires that are ravaging the planet. They also said they targeted Christmas trees because they symbolize the consumerism and the wastefulness of the festive season. They said they wanted to remind people that the climate crisis is not taking a break for Christmas and that they should act now to save the future.
The police and the authorities have denounced the actions of the group and said they will press charges of property damage and vandalism against the activists. Some of the trees that were sprayed were located in historical or cultural sites. For example, one of the trees was in front of the Bundesrat, the upper house of the German parliament, near Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Another tree was in the Mädler Passage, a shopping arcade in Leipzig.
The Last Generation is a radical climate group that has been staging protests and civil disobedience actions since 2022. They are funded by the Climate Emergency Fund, a US-based organization that supports grassroots movements for climate justice. The group demands that the German government end its dependence on fossil fuels and create a citizens’ assembly to decide on the best ways to tackle the climate crisis.
The group has also been involved in other controversial actions, such as gluing themselves to famous paintings in museums and blocking roads during peak hours. Some of their members have been arrested and sentenced to prison for their involvement in these actions.
By Salam Bustanji
