climate protesters keep up the pressure after elections

All around the scene in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Friday, October 22, the organization Greenpeace has displayed photos of the deadly floods in mid-July in western Germany. More than 190 deaths and damage such as the country will devote 30 billion euros to reconstruction.

Yulia, a young high school student from the Fridays For Future movement, the movement created by Greta Thunberg, speaks in front of the 10,000 demonstrators (20,000, according to the organizer Fridays For Future). She comes from this disaster area.“In less than half an hour, she says, lthe lives of thousands of people are completely ruined. From a normal life watching Netflix, going to work or school, the day after becomes a struggle for our survival. But I realize that a day like this doesn’t change politics! “

As recently as the day before, this same region was again severely affected by the passage of the first autumnal storm. The watchword for Friday’s demonstration is “You don’t give us a choice”.

Four weeks after the legislative elections, at a time when the coalition negotiations between the SPD, the Liberals and the Greens begin, the climate movement wants to put pressure on these three political forces which could govern Germany from the beginning of December. The climate movement fears that in this area the program of the future coalition will be insufficiently ambitious and rapid. “This ‘traffic light’ coalition can do better than the previous grand coalition government, says Janine, a Berliner, But it will still be too little. Because too few Greens were elected. “

“Climate change only has to make compromises. For me, on this point, we need to pursue a policy without compromise.”

A protester

to franceinfo

At the foot of the Bundestag, the demonstrators chant this message to the future coalition: “Our future is not negotiable”.