Climate activists deface constitutional monument in Germany with black paint, posters

Climate activists defaced a work of art near Germany’s parliament on Saturday in the latest act of vandalism by protesters related to environmental policy.

Members of The Last Generation splash black liquid on a series of glass plates displaying the 19 articles of the German constitution. The protesters then put up posters on the front page that read, “Oil or Fundamental Rights?” in German.

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Climate activists from the “Last Generation” take part in a protest at the Jakob-Kaiser-Building in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, March 4, 2023. Climate activists sprinkled a dark liquid on an artwork near the German parliament building on Saturday with key articles engraved on it. Condemned by the country’s constitution, by the speaker of parliament and other parliamentarians. (Sven Keuller/dpa via AP.)

The artwork, created by Israeli artist Dani Karvan, was displayed outside the German Parliament and aims to express the importance of free speech and free assembly.

The group said in a statement that the German government was not protecting citizens’ “fundamental rights” because of the country’s continued use of fossil fuels.

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Visitors stand inside the dome of the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament) in Berlin. (AFP)

The vandalism drew strong criticism from the German authorities, who questioned the message being sent by the act.

“They are the fundamental rights on which previous generations of protestors themselves base the justification of their actions,” Parliament Speaker Barbel Bas said in a statement. “I can only hope that the glass plates of the artwork were not permanently damaged.”

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Climate change activists vandalize a painting to raise awareness of climate change. (Letzett Generation)

By the afternoon the stained glass artwork had been cleaned.

The Last Generation is just one of several climate activism groups that have sought media attention over the past few months by removing public artwork.