German climate activists end lengthy hunger strike

A group of German environmental activists on Thursday ended a long-running hunger strike to force the government to do more to tackle the climate crisis.

The protest began in early March under the motto “starving until you tell the truth”, when the first member of the group, Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, stopped eating.

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The 49-year-old went on hunger strike for a total of 92 days and was admitted to hospital in early June — although he reportedly continued the action for several days afterwards.

Another seven people joined the fast over the weeks, with the group setting up a camp in a central Berlin park.

Some started eating again in recent weeks and the rest announced they will now end their hunger strike.

Their statement said the action was to highlight that “the continued existence of human civilisation is endangered by the climate catastrophe”, urging a “radical” change of course.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz  called for an end to the strike at the end of May, saying it was not the right way to spur debate about whether Germany was doing enough to tackle climate change.

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Climate activists have resorted to some eye-catching stunts to get their message across in Germany.

Protesters from the radical group known as Letzte Generation (“Last Generation”) have repeatedly sat down on busy roads and glued their hands to the tarmac.

Protesters have also thrown mashed potatoes over a Claude Monet painting in Potsdam and glued themselves to an exhibition of a dinosaur skeleton at Berlin’s Natural History Museum.

© Agence France-Presse