Saturday, May 18, 2024

Eight Arrested After Climate Activists Breach German Airport

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -German police said on Saturday they had arrested eight climate activists who breached the grounds of Munich airport, causing it to briefly close during a busy holiday weekend.

Six of the activists glued themselves to a runway, the police spokesperson said, adding the situation was now under control, with both of the airport’s runways open for arrivals and takeoffs.

Climate group Last Generation, which has carried out similar protests in the past, said it was responsible for the action in a series of posts on X showing members on what appeared to be a runway or tarmac with protest signs.

“A total of six people are sitting in two groups on different locations of the Munich airport,” one of the posts said.

One of the signs read: “Problem is the government, not our holiday”.

The group didn’t immediately respond to a call or email seeking comment.

The disruption occurred during one of the busiest travel periods for the airport in southern Germany, second only to the Easter holidays, according to the airport.

An airport spokesperson said the airport had briefly been fully closed and that delays were still likely.

(Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by William Mallard and Mark Potter)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Photos You Should See – May 2024

TOPSHOT - A woman wades through flood waters at an inundated residential area in Garissa, on May 9, 2024. Kenya is grappling with one of its worst floods in recent history, the latest in a string of weather catastrophes, following weeks of extreme rainfall scientists have linked to a changing climate. At least 257 people have been killed and more than 55,000 households have been displaced as murky waters submerge entire villages, destroy roads and inundate dams. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)