The Last Generation Gathers for Brunch and Protests as Blockades Begin

The Reformation Church in Moabit fills up around half past eleven. The members of the last generation hug each other, chat and eat together. It is the first event in a series of blockades that the group has announced for the fall. It should start next week.

That’s why the Last Generation is meeting this Wednesday for brunch and a subsequent protest march. In the next three months, the activists want to stick to Berlin’s streets again. They call it a “tipping point.” To this end, they have been mobilizing new and experienced members for weeks. In the church you can see smiling faces everywhere, the mood is happy, almost euphoric. Are you looking forward to the gluing activities?

Alexander Rose thinks joy is the wrong word. “Many people are looking forward to finally stopping talking and planning,” he says. “They want to stand in the way of the climate catastrophe.” But some are also afraid of the blockades and sometimes even vomit. A young man from Potsdam, sitting at the table, raises his hands, signaling that he belongs.

Rose gets a second plate full of hummus, salad and bread and talks about the feeling of not being alone and how much the movement has grown recently. Rose is responsible for the group’s organizational development and says: “I only know half of them here.”

Alexander Rose is responsible for organizational development of the last generation.Sabine Gudath

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Repression makes the last generation stronger, says a speaker

There are QR codes at the entrance that lead to different messenger channels: bed exchange, affinity groups, kitchen – there will be many tasks for members in Berlin in the coming weeks. At the buffet, two people are talking about the journey: with the Deutschlandticket from Stuttgart, eleven hours. People in high-visibility vests stand at the entrance to answer questions from new members. But people also actively approach others when going to the toilet or at the table: “Is this your first time? Do you live in Berlin? How did you find out about us?”

The question sounds strange given the amount of attention that the Last Generation is attracting. During the speeches it becomes clear that the aim is to find out what motivated the new members to actually come to church. Detentions, negative headlines and house searches in particular caused outrage and even more popularity. A speaker says that repression only makes the movement stronger, and that punishments are not a threat given the consequences of global warming: “So we can only win – let’s get it done!” she says and receives applause.

Eva wants to support the protest with de-escalation and communication.Sabine Gudath

Eva drives her wheelchair to the front of the church to take off her protective mask and roll a cigarette. The 55-year-old sees her task primarily as de-escalating and communicating. “I used to be very active on Twitter, but now I organize different groups on Signal,” she says. She doesn’t stick herself at protests, but she talks to excited drivers or the police. She joined the protest on the street after the house search of her spokeswoman Carla Hinrichs and the website was blocked. But that is not always easy for her. “It takes an emotional toll on me when no one comes to pick me up,” she says. She needs support for traveling on public transport, but also for the activities themselves.

After the meal and the speeches, high-visibility vests are handed out and the police are already waiting outside the door. About 150 people slowly move outside. The demo moves along Invalidenstrasse to Invalidenpark. It starts to rain, but they keep going. Determined and just as slow.

Protest focal points

Blockades have been announced for the entire fall. However, the last generation has set priorities: a particularly large number of traffic blockers arrive in the weeks from September 18th to 22nd, October 23rd to 27th and November 27th to December 1st.

2023-09-14 06:44:56
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