Climate Activists Applying Super Glue and Sticking Hands to the Red Carpet

Performance at the Berlin Film Festival Opening Ceremony

At the opening ceremony red carpet of the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world's top three film festivals, climate activists stormed in and performed a hand-sticking protest. They were revealed to be activists belonging to the climate movement group 'Letzte Generation (Last Generation)'.

On the 16th (local time) at around 7:35 PM, two climate activists from Last Generation broke through the restricted fence and stormed the opening ceremony of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival held at Berlinale Palast in Berlin, Germany. They used super-strong adhesive to stick their hands to the red carpet floor.

Lisa Winkelmann (20), one of the activists participating in the protest, said, "We are heading toward an unimaginable disaster," and pointed out, "Our society can no longer ignore the impending collapse." Another activist, Raphael Felmy (26), said, "Events like the Berlin Film Festival tempt people to look away from danger," adding, "However, if we continue to live as we do now without change, such events will not be able to take place in the future."

Activists belonging to the climate action group "Letzte Generation," which mainly operates in Germany and Austria, occupied the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on the 16th (local time).
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

However, since the invited guests had already entered the opening ceremony venue when they stormed in, it is reported that no major commotion occurred.

Last Generation also released a video of the protest scene on Twitter. In the video, activists stepped over the fence and moved onto the red carpet. Although security personnel tried to restrain them, they succeeded in sticking their hands to the floor. Last Generation stated, "If the government continues to allow the destruction of our ecosystem, such events will not continue."

Meanwhile, environmental groups across Europe continue to urge action against the climate crisis. In October last year, two activists from the UK environmental group 'Just Stop Oil' caused controversy by pouring tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh's painting 'Sunflowers' at the National Gallery in London. After pouring the soup, they also stuck their hands to the museum wall using adhesive.

In the same month, activists from the German environmental group 'Last Generation' threw mashed potatoes at Claude Monet's work 'Haystacks' exhibited at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam. Fortunately, all the artworks were framed, so they were not damaged. It is known that climate activists choose such extreme methods to raise awareness about the seriousness of the climate crisis.