BERLIN (AP) – German authorities temporarily closed Munich Airport on Saturday after six climate change activists broke through a security barrier and became stuck on the walkway leading to the runway, officials and local media reported.
Activists from the group Last Generation were protesting against airplanes, the most polluting means of transport, according to German news agency dpa.
Police detained six people.
An airport spokesperson said the incoming flight had to be diverted to another airport. A statement on the airport’s official website said the airport’s two runways reopened several hours later, but there may be some disruption to flight schedules.
In a post on social media platform
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser condemned the protests and called for them to stop: “Such criminal acts endanger air traffic and damage climate protection, as they only cause a lack of understanding and anger,” she wrote to X.
Munich, Bavaria, May 18, 2024: Police and firefighters surround stranded climate activists on the runway access road at Franz Josef Strauss Airport. Climate activists paralyzed Munich airport early Saturday morning. The activists had reached the inner area of the airport grounds. According to their own statements, members of the so-called Last Generation were planning to enter the airport grounds to block at least one of the two runways. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Fraser also praised police efforts to restore order at the airport and called for a review of airport security measures.
Ralf Beisel, general manager of the German Airports Association, harshly criticized the actions of climate change activists.
“Encroachment into an aviation security area is not a misdemeanor. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from starting their Pentecost holidays slowly and on time,” he told dpa.
Beisel also called for tougher penalties for activists who invade airports.
Due to climate change, flights were suspended for several hours at Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports in July.
In January, Last Generation famously angered many Germans by staking out roads and blocking traffic, but they abandoned this tactic and moved to holding so-called “disobedience rallies.” Announced. Their actions were widely criticized, with Prime Minister Olaf Scholz describing them as “completely insane”.
German police raid climate change extremist group on suspicion of setting up a criminal organizationhttps://t.co/B9T2qRLFwF
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