After a sticking action in the Berlin Picture Gallery, a climate activist was sentenced to four months in prison without parole.
The 24-year-old from Bavaria, who had stuck herself to the wooden frame of the painting “Rest on the Flight into Egypt” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), was guilty of damaging property, the Tiergarten District Court justified the verdict. The young woman was also on trial for taking part in a road blockade, for which she was convicted of attempted coercion and resisting law enforcement officers.
According to a court spokeswoman, this is the first time a Berlin court has imposed a prison sentence without parole on climate activists following actions by the Last Generation group.
Probation is not considered
“It is unacceptable that parts of society do not comply with the law because of their goals,” said presiding judge Susanne Wortmann in her verdict. A suspended sentence is out of the question because the 24-year-old was unreasonable and said that she would continue to take part in similar activities. There were other numerous proceedings against the woman. There is no positive social prognosis.
The 24-year-old and another activist from the Last Generation group glued themselves to the frame with superglue in August 2022. Damage of 2385 euros was incurred, it said in a penalty order issued against the woman. In June 2022, the woman also sat down with three other activists on an exit on the Berlin city highway. The process came about because the 24-year-old had lodged an objection to the penalty order.
She explained in court that she had been taking part in Last Generation activities for more than a year. “I don’t get involved lightly and thoughtlessly,” she said. The protest in the picture gallery was symbolic. She studied design and appreciate cultural assets. “We made sure that the painting is protected by a pane of glass,” the woman said. Her defense attorney said the wooden frame was not a work of art – it was purchased in 1952 for 60 marks and was not valuable. The defense attorney, who had asked for an acquittal, immediately appealed.
