Several people from the ‘Last Generation’ environmental group broke onto the runway and glued themselves to the tarmac
At least 13 flights had to be diverted from the Berlin Brandenburg airport on Thursday after several eco-activists broke onto the runway and glued themselves to the tarmac to protest greenhouse gas emissions.
The environmental group “Last Generation” has since claimed responsibility for the brazen act and explained it as an attempt to persuade the public to stop traveling by air and force the government to stop subsidizing air travel. The same group has been responsible for the recent attacks on priceless paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.
“In an airport area that is not open to the public, we encountered several people who had previously gained unauthorised access and some glued themselves (to the tarmac),” Berlin police announced on Twitter after the activists were detained and removed from the premises and the airport was able to resume operation after a nearly two-hour shutdown.
A spokesperson for the airport stated that the group of activists, which included a 70-year-old man, was able to break onto the runway from two points in the north and south. He could not say exactly how many flights were affected by the incident, but the airport’s operating company has said that at least 13 flights had to be diverted to nearby airports.
Last Generation has been responsible for several protests in the German capital in recent weeks, and has blocked public roads and intersections. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has noted that Last Generation’s protests were becoming “ever more unscrupulous,” and insisted that society could not accept such behavior.
