(Berlin) Climate activists on Wednesday blocked access to the annual general meeting of German premium carmaker Porsche, owned by the Volkswagen Group, denouncing the impact of the luxury sector on global warming.
A handful of demonstrators, including from the Letzte Generation (Last Generation) movement, demonstrated outside the entrance to the brand’s building in Stuttgart (west), which hosted its first annual general meeting since its IPO last September.
“What if the government doesn’t have control?” “, displayed one of the signs of the movement. Protesters also stuck their hands on the roadway to block traffic.
They denounce the influence that, according to them, Porsche has on the policy of the government, of which they deplore the delay in the fight against global warming.
The general meeting was still able to start on time, and Oliver Blume, CEO of the Volkswagen Group was pleased with the brand’s record profits.
A banner in hand, an activist however interrupted her speech, protesting against the Nazi past of Ferdinand Porsche, the company’s founder.
“Expropriate the heirs of the Nazis”, she proclaimed, before being ejected from the room a few seconds later, carried away in the arms of a security guard.
This is not the first time that climate activists have disrupted a Volkswagen event. On June 8, Letzte Generation had already invited itself to the celebration of Porsche’s anniversary at a rally in front of its factory in Stuttgart.
At the end of last May, the group’s general meeting was even disrupted by a throw of cream cake towards the members of the supervisory board, including Wolfgang Porsche, a member of the manufacturer’s heir family.
Beyond cars, it is the entire luxury sector that is targeted by activists, who criticize the lack of contribution of the wealthy to the fight against climate change.
Letzte Generation has multiplied the actions in recent weeks, whether in the marina of Neustadt (Baltic) last week, where they dyed the water green, or in early June on the island of Sylt, in the North Sea , known for its luxurious villas.
“Your luxury, our dryness,” they summed up on their placards.