Climate activists break into German airport sites, bringing air traffic to halt

Protesters from the "Last Generation" climate activist group shut down the runway at the Cologne airport in Germany on Thursday.

Activists filmed themselves on the runway tarmac and gave testimonies against the use of fossil fuels and air travel. Images from inside the airport show dozens of canceled flights and hundreds of stranded travelers.

The Germany-based group routinely disrupts public events and transportation, often resorting to publicly defacing historic art pieces in an attempt to gain attention.

"What is at stake right now are billions of human lives. Climate collapse is already a reality for many people. We still have the privilege of being able to do something about it here. Please join OIL KILLS!" one women sitting on the tarmac says, according to a translation.

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Other images showed some activists gluing themselves to the runway.

The organization said eight of its activists had been taken into custody. It confirmed later Thursday that all eight have now been released.

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The German Airport Association (ADV) condemned the demonstration in a Thursday statement.

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"Today’s disruptions at several airports are a concerted act of criminal extortion. This is not a peaceful protest and it is not about supposedly higher goals," ADV managing director, Ralph Beisel, said. "These are malicious interventions in air traffic and in the personal rights of every traveler who is unable to take their flight as planned."

Last Generation protests have frequently led to conflicts between activists and bystanders. Last year, a woman in Germany was dubbed a "brutal blonde" by European media after she dragged a climate change activist from blocking traffic in Bottrop, Germany.

Footage showed the woman grabbed the activist by her hair and dragged her to the side of the road. When the girl returned to block the road, the German woman dragged her by the hair a second time.