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"...preliminary proceedings initiated against seven individuals..."
On Wednesday, the Munich State Prosecutor's Office announced that, on the grounds of suspicion of forming or supporting a criminal organization, a nationwide police operation had been carried out targeting members of the Last Generation climate activist group.
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According to an official statement released by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (BLKA), preliminary proceedings initiated against seven individuals, aged between 22 and 38, in response to “numerous criminal complaints” from citizens. The investigators have searched 15 properties throughout the country.
As per the statement, two suspects were charged with attempting to sabotage the Trieste-Ingolstadt oil pipeline during April 2022, which is a crucial component of the infrastructure of the state of Bavaria.
The authorities also seized two bank accounts and froze one asset. According to the statement, the defendants had organized a fundraising campaign, collecting at least 1.4 million euros (1.5 million U.S. dollars) to “finance further crimes on behalf of Last Generation.”
"The aim of the searches is to find evidence on the membership structure of Last Generation, to further clarify its financing, and to seize assets. No arrests have been made so far," the statement said.
German police carried out raids in 7 states in a probe into climate campaigners suspected of forming or backing a criminal group.
— Rita Rosenfeld (@rheytah) May 24, 2023
For months Last Generation has disrupted traffic in German cities.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned their campaign as "completely crazy". pic.twitter.com/1Oayadwv8i
Climate advocates have consistently impeded traffic in urban regions of Germany by gluing themselves to the pavement surface, seeking to assertively prompt for more stringent measures and policies aimed at combating the escalating threat of global warming.
In an effort to garner maximal media exposure, the activists even smeared works of art housed within museums with colors.
In late November, the capital’s airport had to stop operations because the activist were glued to the taxiway.
Last Generation has recurrently reiterated that its aims were to draw attention and to raise awareness regarding the environmentally detrimental impacts of air transportation.
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