Berlin [Germany], April 19: Thousands of people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday to protest the government's energy policies. In Berlin, around 9,000 demonstrators gathered, according to police. Speakers in the capital included prominent climate activist Luisa Neubauer.
Under the slogan "Defend renewable energy!", an alliance of environmental organizations called for protests in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne.
Organizers in Berlin spoke of 24,000 participants and in Munich of 12,000. Across all four cities, 80,000 people took to the streets, they said.
In Munich, demonstrators hoisted banners accusing Economy Minister Katherina Reiche of jeopardizing the success of transitioning to renewable energy and favouring fossil fuels.
"Escalating energy prices, geopolitical crises and authoritarian regimes show us how risky fossil fuels are," the organizers said in their bid to get people to join the demonstration.
What was needed now was a faster shift towards solar and wind power. However, Economy Minister Reiche and parts of the conservative Union bloc aim to slow this down, they charged.
Reiche is a member of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union party.
In Munich, Martin Geilhufe, the Bavarian chairman of the BUND environmental organization, described Reiche's grid package as "part of a concerted general attack on nature, the environment and the climate." The German government must not choke off the expansion of wind and solar energy, he demanded.
Source: Qatar Tribune