Activists try to block Axel Springer media group print site in Berlin

Yahoo

4 days ago

Activists attempted to block access to a print facility of German media group Axel Springer in Berlin late on Wednesday, aiming to disrupt newspaper deliveries.
Protesters from the group New Generation parked three vehicles in front of the building and glued themselves to the roofs, a police spokesman said.
Authorities on site were directing the activists to relocate to a nearby area that did not obstruct traffic, he added.
New Generation, which succeeded the Last Generation protest movement, said on social media that the action was intended to prevent the distribution of Axel Springer newspapers.
Apart from Germany's largest tabloid Bild and the Welt broadsheet, Axel Springer also owns Politico, Business Insider, Morning Brew, media outlets in Poland and the German comparison platform Idealo.
The group accuses Bild in particular of fuelling social divisions and eroding public trust in democratic institutions through its reporting. It also says the newspaper downplays the urgency of the climate crisis.
Last Generation, formed after a climate hunger strike in Berlin, changed its name and relaunched the movement in February, after the group's protest tactics drew widespread criticism and a harsh crackdown from the authorities.
The group's aggressive tactics, including sit-down street blockades and efforts to storm airport runways, drew widespread attention and extensive news coverage after the climate activists launched a nationwide campaign in 2022.
But the protests also attracted the anger of many Germans, as well as aggressive police investigations.
At the beginning of this year, the group announced a change of strategy and a move away from the blockades, which often involved activists gluing themselves to roadways.