Relief for activists of the climate group Last Generation: The Berlin public prosecutor does not see them as criminally responsible for the death of a cyclist after an accident with a cement mixer in October. The investigating authority said this about the death, which had triggered nationwide debates.
The last generation has been organizing street blockades in many cities since the beginning of 2022. On the day of the fatal accident on October 31, 2022 in Berlin, two activists stuck to a sign bridge on the A100 and unrolled banners. A traffic jam then formed. When the 44-year-old cyclist was run over by a concrete mixer about five kilometers away in the city center, this slowed down two fire engines, including a rescue vehicle that was supposed to help with the rescue.
“Your life could not have been saved anyway”
“According to the results of the investigation, the road blockade actually led to a time delay of three minutes for a command vehicle and eight minutes for the rescue vehicle,” said the Berlin public prosecutor’s office. “However, it did not depend on their arrival.” The emergency doctor made the correct decision not to wait for the concrete mixer to be lifted by the recovery vehicle, but to initiate immediate rescue by driving the truck away.
“The autopsy also revealed that the cyclist had already suffered such serious injuries from the accident with the concrete mixer that her life could not have been saved anyway,” the prosecutor said. The two activists, aged 60 and 63, will not be charged with assault or homicide. But they have to answer for coercion and resistance against law enforcement officials.
After the death, the Last Generation had been heavily criticized for its actions. Politicians called for tougher action and warned of the criminal and terrorist tendencies of the activists. They spoke of “baiting”. Because of their blockades, there is a wave of lawsuits against members of the group, among other things because of coercion.
