Germany’s transport minister has called for five-year jail sentences for eco-activists who disrupt flights, after two incidents this week where they caused airport chaos by blocking runways.
Volker Wissing, from the coalition’s FDP party, said the German parliament needed to speed up reforms on air traffic disruption so the tougher sentence could be passed into law.
It comes after a Just Stop Oil activist was jailed for a record five years in the UK, and four others received four-year sentences, for planning to block the M25 – the longest-ever sentences for non-violent protesting.
“It is clear that climate activists are trying to cause maximum damage. The legislators must respond to this with maximum severity,” Mr Wissing told the German tabloid Bild.
He added: “By introducing prison sentences of up to five years for entering airports, we are giving judges a toolkit to make the appropriate judgments.”
On Thursday morning, members of the group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) – similar to Britain’s Extinction Rebellion – stuck themselves to the runway at Frankfurt airport.
All take-offs and landings were postponed as the activists sat on the runway, with some bearing a placard that said “oil kills”. The protest led to 170 flights being disrupted and eight arrests, though air traffic resumed later on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, Letzte Generation targeted the Cologne-Bonn airport with the same stunt, disrupting summer flights for German holidaymakers.
A spokesman for Frankfurt airport suggested it would take legal action against the eight demonstrators who caused the disruption, which affected around 10,000 passengers.
“Air traffic is slowly starting up again. We reserve the right to take legal action. The perpetrators face severe penalties. They not only endanger air traffic, but also human lives, with such actions,” he said.
Letzte Generation, which demands immediate steps from the German government to drastically cut carbon emissions, has vowed to take further action in the days and weeks to come.
During the Frankfurt protest, the group reportedly cut through a chain link fence to gain access to the airport, leaving their tools and a high-visibility jacket at the scene.
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