Status: 03/25/2023 5:12 p.m
Climate activists from the group “Last Generation” blocked the Elbe bridges in Hamburg on Saturday. A long traffic jam formed. After a standstill of three and a half hours, the road was reopened in the afternoon.
The climate protest of the “last generation” completely paralyzed traffic over the Elbe bridges in the north at midday. With two vans and several people, the group blocked the road towards the center. Several members of the “Last Generation” jumped onto the road. According to the police, four of them stuck themselves with quick-setting concrete.
Angry car and truck drivers
Angry drivers honked and cursed. Some also attacked the activists. A truck driver kicked an activist who was lying on the ground in the stomach. Others were pulled off the road.
A7 closed – long traffic jam on the A255
Since the While the A7 motorway is closed for the entire weekend, the Elbe bridges are currently the central connection for crossing the Elbe. The action on the A255 caused a complete standstill within minutes. A traffic jam formed towards the city center – up to 17 kilometers long in the early afternoon.
Displays against motorists who have become violent
The police came in large numbers. Specialists from the so-called technical platoon removed the activists from the street with heavy equipment. To do this, they cut open the asphalt around the glued hands. The roadway was then repaired. At 3:30 p.m., traffic was rolling again, according to the police. According to the police, there are reports against some of the motorists who have become violent. The police are also investigating whether some activists need to remain in detention longer.
Köhlbrandbrücke was blocked on Thursday
Several activists had already on Thursday the Koehlbrandbrücke blocked. The hands of the activists – with asphalt around them – had to be milled out of the road.
Activists had threatened disruptive actions
At the beginning of the month, climate activists from the “Last Generation” sent Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) and several parliamentary group leaders an ultimatum in a letter and threatened disruptive actions. They should campaign for a “social council” that thinks about how Germany can become climate-neutral by 2030. Otherwise, the activists wanted to “ensure maximum disruption to public order.”
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