Activists of the new generation block Springer printing in Spandau!

Activists of the new generation block Springer printing in Spandau!

In the night of Thursday, June 5, 2025, activists from the “New Generation” group tried to block a printing shop of the Axel Springer publishing house in Berlin-Spandau. According to the information from rbb24 , three vehicles were parked in front of the building, while some activists stick on the roofs of printing. This was not the first attempt by the group; Already on the previous Sunday evening they tried to block the gates of the print shop on Brunsbütteler Damm. This protest was first classified as a meeting before the police ended.

In the course of the nightly discussion, six activists were arrested, while firefighters had to intervene in order to free the people from the roofs. One person was cut from the vehicle roof with a separator because there were difficulties with removing the adhesive. The activists of the "new generation" are the successors of the "Last generation" movement, which has made a name for themselves through various protests against climate change.

reasons for the protest

The group aims to prevent the delivery of newspapers such as "Bild" and "Welt" because they criticize the reporting of these publications. They are accused of contributing to social division and undermining trust in democratic institutions. They also accuse the media of a trivial course in relation to the climate crisis. According to Tagesspiegel refers to the "new generation" as a "power instrument of autocrats and Fascists ”.

The police reaction to the protests was considerable. Almost 80 forces were mobilized to prevent the blockade. On Sunday evening, when the first campaign took place, 39 activists were temporarily arrested, of which 34 to Monday morning remained in police custody and later released. The police found various utensils in the van of the activists, including adhesives and color spray cans.

criticism of the protest methods

Despite the rising ride on the methods of protests, it remains unclear to what extent it influences public opinion on climate change. An analysis of the Ariadne project shows that protests can certainly cause a significant increase in the proportion of concerned citizens, especially if concern is low before protest. The study that examined data between 2016 and 2020 suggests that both peaceful protests and civil disobedience increase awareness of climate change in the population

Some critics of the protesting groups fear that such disruptive actions may result in alienation of the population. However, the analysis of the Ariadne project showed that this does not seem to be the case in reality. The effect on the adjustment to climate issues could even be the case on the contrary.

The "New Generation" has announced that it will be realigned in December and is determined to continue to fight against social grievances. Your methodological development will show the next time whether you can exercise the desired influence on the climate debate and perception within the population. The demands and their perception in the media and the public remain central points in the debate about the measures against climate change.