German government calls on climate protesters to abide by law

BERLIN

The German government on Friday called on climate activists to abide by law while staging protests to draw attention to environmental issues.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports “every democratic engagement” but believes that recent protests were not “constructive” and “conducive” to achieving climate goals.

“Concerns about climate protection, engagements for climate protection are important to all of us. These must unite us as a society, and must not go outside the bounds of our laws,” he stressed.

Environmental groups such as the Last Generation movement staged a series of radical protests in recent weeks, with activists gluing themselves to roads in various German cities, blocking traffic for hours.