BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday took aim at climate protesters who have been supergluing themselves to roads, after the fire brigade said a demonstration on a Berlin autobahn had hindered their response to a severe traffic collision.
A female cyclist was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after being run over by a truck in the capital’s central district of Wilmersdorf, police said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the fire brigade said that one of its vehicles, specially equipped to respond to such incidents, had got stuck in traffic on the way to the scene as a result of a demonstration.
Berlin’s local rbb news website reported that the jam may been caused by Last Generation, a group of climate activists who have made headlines in recent months by gluing themselves to roads and, more recently, targeting exhibits in museums.
In a statement on its website, the protest group said it could not rule out that its protest had delayed the emergency service vehicle.
A police spokesperson said officers were investigating which demonstration was involved and whether any legal action would be taken.
When asked about the incident at a news conference, Scholz said he had not been informed of this specific case but that it was important that emergency services be able to reach people who are in danger.
“And so my appeal can only be that, in all the decisions one takes for political rallies and expressing of opinion, one takes consideration that this doesn’t contribute to endangering others,” he said.
“It is obvious that the glue stunts have not been met very widely with applause, nor from me,” Scholz said. “I believe that there are other ways for one to express their opinion.”
(Reporting by Rachel More; Editing by Sandra Maler)
