German climate activists cut top off Berlin Christmas tree

BERLIN (AA) – German climate activists have sawn off the top of the prominent Christmas tree in Berlin’s city center on Wednesday, demanding urgent action against global warming.

Members of the Last Generation group used a lifting platform to hack off the tip of the 15-meter (49-feet) tree in front of the Brandenburg Gate and rolled out a banner saying, “This is only the tip of the Christmas tree.”

“So far In Germany, we have only seen the tip of the climate catastrophe,” one activist told reporters and renewed the group’s demands from the government to take stronger measures to protect the climate and prevent global warming becoming worse.

The Last Generation group sparked controversy in German public opinion with their extreme actions and radical protests in recent months.

Members of the group glued their hands to famous paintings in museums and blocked highways and even runways at airports to attract media attention.

The climate activists are heavily criticizing the German government for not taking serious measures to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), but further investing in fossil fuel infrastructure, endangering the future of humankind.

Their immediate demands include a speed limit of 100 km/h (62.14 mph) on German highways, and the introduction of €9 ($9.5) public transport ticket, which would allow unlimited travel and can be used around the country.