It is already the fourth protest action by "Scientist Rebellion" this week in Munich. This time it hits the BMW world and here too the climate activists resort to radical, albeit peaceful measures: They stick themselves to an M8 in the car manufacturer's showroom. Dozens of police officers have to move in.
In Munich, climate activists stuck themselves to an exhibited car in the BMW world. As can be seen in a Twitter video that the group itself distributed, several people stormed the Bavarian carmaker's showroom. They smeared paint on cars and put a placard reading "Unite against climate failure" on the hood of an M8, and some taped their hands to the light blue vehicle, according to the Bavarian About 40 police officers were on duty on the radio and tried to remove the stuck from the car.
The activists involved in the campaign are scientists from "Scientist Rebellion Germany". They call for an "immediate decarbonization of the transport sector", including a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour on German autobahns and the reintroduction of the nine-euro ticket, as they explain on social media.
According to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", the "BMW World" is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Bavaria. The Munich police are currently on site with 14 patrol cars. The building has been sealed off. A spokesman for the police was therefore confident that the operation would be routinely processed. The climate activists behaved peacefully, the official is quoted as saying by the newspaper that "in Munich they now have practice with such operations". Six vehicles are said to have been doused with a sticky liquid. The police want to check whether property damage has occurred.
It is the fourth "Scientist Rebellion" protest within a week in the state capital. The activists had already drawn attention to their goals and demands on Monday with a similar sticking action in the Munich branch of Blackrock, the world's largest asset manager. On Tuesday, the climate activists then temporarily blocked the Odeonsplatz.
On Thursday, about 20 of them blocked part of the road at Munich's Stachus. They sat down on the road - directly in front of the Palace of Justice. Two of them were also stuck. There were traffic delays. All those involved were finally taken to the police headquarters for identity verification. They are being investigated on suspicion of coercion in road traffic and violation of the Assembly Act.
The activists streamed their protest live on social media. Victor de Santos, one of the protesters, said on Twitter: "Technology will not save us. Electric cars will not save us." Many automakers have fooled the public by systematically underestimating their vehicles' emissions.
(This article was first published on Saturday, October 29, 2022.)
