German prosecutors say climate protestors aren’t responsible for death of cyclist

German prosecutors said on Thursday they have determined climate protesters were not responsible for the death of a cyclist in October after their road blockade delayed the arrival of a rescue vehicle at the crash site.

The October 31 incident in Berlin sparked controversy over the tactics of the Last Generation group, whose actions have also included throwing mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting in an art museum and disrupting traffic at airports. Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged workers to show “creativity” and avoid putting others at risk.

Berlin’s fire service said at the time that the blockades had resulted in officers with special rescue equipment stuck in traffic as they rushed to help a seriously injured cyclist who was trapped under a cement mixer.

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Prosecutors in the German capital said on Thursday they were looking into whether the cyclist’s death could have been prevented if it had not been delayed by two activists from a previous generation who partially closed the highway by hanging a banner over it. was accused of doing. Traffic sign and sticking myself to it.

A concrete mixer vehicle stands on a road where a cyclist was seriously injured in a traffic accident with a truck on October 31, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. German prosecutors determined that climate protesters were not responsible for the cyclist’s death. (Paul Zinken/dPA via AP, File)

They found that the blockade delayed the arrival of the rescue vehicle by eight minutes. But he said it was not critical to the cyclist’s fate as a doctor had already determined that using the vehicle’s equipment could worsen the victim’s condition and that another course of action would have made more sense. Is.

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A subsequent autopsy found that the cyclist had already suffered injuries so severe in the crash that his life could not be saved, prosecutors said in a statement.

He said activists have been charged with coercion over the protest and resisting enforcement officers, but will not face charges related to the injury or death of the cyclist.

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The prosecutors’ decision comes as climate activists prepare for a new round of protests in Berlin in the coming days and weeks. They point to what they say is the government’s failure to properly address the threat of climate change.