The authorities of several federal states are taking action against climate activists of the “last generation”: Under the leadership of the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, the police and the public prosecutor’s office searched 15 objects in Munich, Augsburg, Berlin, Hamburg , Magdeburg, Dresden as well as in Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein from early morning.
Furthermore, on indication of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the “Ultima Generazione” home page was deactivated, as reported by a police spokesman. It is currently not available.
As LKA Bavaria writes in a press release, investigations were launched against seven suspects. Prosecutors also seized accounts and other assets. The charge: formation of a criminal organization or support of a criminal organization.
The defendants are accused of having organized a campaign to finance further crimes in favor of the “Last Generation”, advertising them on their website and thus having collected donations of at least 1.4 million euros so far.
According to the police, about 170 officers have been deployed nationwide. According to initial information, the searches were peaceful.
Whether and to what extent the “latest generation” can meet the criteria for a criminal organization has been the subject of public debate for weeks. While some politicians, for example from the Union, are expressing themselves in this direction, experts such as the president of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, have given a rather cautious assessment. According to Haldenwang, he currently does not see “the younger generation” as extremists, even if individual members have indeed committed crimes. The authorities are watching the group closely, keeping an eye out for possible radicalization and can therefore react accordingly.
