The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed it had filed the charges -- of which it gave no details -- "against five members" of the movement.
Members of Last Generation released a statement saying they would contest the charges, calling them "an attack on civil society engagement as a cornerstone of democracy".
Founded in 2021, Last Generation mounted eye-catching, non-violent protests in Germany for several years calling for urgent action to combat climate change.
These included throwing mashed potatoes at the glass protecting a Monet painting and repeatedly glueing themselves onto busy roads.
The group's members briefly halted airport traffic several times by breaking into airports and glueing themselves to the tarmac.
Members are also alleged to have tried to sabotage an oil pipeline between Trieste, Italy, and Ingolstadt, Germany, deemed "critical infrastructure" in Bavaria.
The movement announced in February that it was reorganising into two new groups focusing on different climate and environment-related issues -- "Neue Generation" (New Generation) and "Widerstandskollektiv" (Resistance Collective).
- 'Attack on us all' -
Dozens of members of Last Generation have previously faced criminal charges for offences such as damage to property and trespassing.
Some have been convicted and fined, with a handful also given jail sentences of several months.
However, if convicted of forming a criminal organisation, they could face longer sentences.
Members of the group have launched a petition calling on prosecutors to drop the charges, which they say are "an attack on us all" at a time when "the climate crisis is escalating and a new fascism could be looming over our world".
One of the charged activists, Carla Hinrichs, said they were being penalised for simply trying to "band together and... sound the alarm" about climate change.
"We peaceful protesters are being targeted for delivering the bad news," she said.
In May 2023, German police carried out raids across seven states targeting Last Generation activists in what was seen as a major hardening of the authorities' stance towards the group.
In addition to the proceedings in Munich, prosecutors in Brandenburg, near Berlin, have also charged five members of the group with forming a criminal organisation.
The accusations relate to protests at two oil refineries, Berlin airport and the Barberini Museum in Potsdam.
Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
