Speaking before a meeting with Last Generation activists, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said he found their radical approach unacceptable.Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing said he would meet with representatives of the climate activist group Last Generation on Tuesday.

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The group calls for more decisive action in the fight against climate change. Its protest actions include activists gluing themselves to roads, which they effectively block.

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Speaking to national public radio Deutschlandfunk on Tuesday morning, Wissing said that in a democracy you have to talk to each other and exchange arguments.

However, the politician mentioned that he is not convinced by the Last Generation arguments and he does not tolerate such actions as blocking roads.

He said he was confused that the group "makes so few sensible suggestions about combating climate change and yet also acts so radically and seeks to impede general society through criminal acts."

Wissing is a member of the business-focused Free Democrats (FDP), arguably the party least palatable to Last Generation activisits within the current government.

"People in Germany fed up with sitting in traffic jams want the government to hold talks and for arguments to be exchanged," he said, while adding that the current situation of repeated protests could not be allowed to continue.

Activists block roads before meeting

Ahead of a meeting scheduled with Wissing, Last Generation activists blocked roads and intersections in Berlin. Such disruption has been a more or less daily occurrence for more than two weeks now.

A police spokeswoman said the protests, which started at 7.45 am (0545 GMT) during the early morning rush hour, had targeted at least two dozen points across the German capital, causing lengthy traffic jams on city freeways and at major intersections.

Some 170 officers were initially deployed to deal with the protests, which had been anticipated. The number was later increased to 300, police said.

According to police figures released on Friday, there have been 80 road closures in the German capital since April 19 as a result of the climate protests. The police have initiated more than 1,100 investigations into either criminal offenses (the bulk of the cases) or misdemeanor charges.

dh/msh (dpa, AFP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 02, 2023 07:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).