July 9, 2021, Schkeuditz.
Climate justice activists blocked truck access to the German DHL freight airport Leipzig/Halle for two hours on the night of Friday 9 to Saturday 10 July. They were arrested by the police after a spontaneous demonstration around midnight and taken into custody.
With the action, the activists oppose the expansion plans of the state government. The successful blockade was the most radical protest to date against the airport’s expansion.
‘The dismantling of airports is desperately needed’, warned press spokeswoman Paula Vogel with a view to the climate share of the Federal Constitutional Court. ‘Politicians need to change direction more than before to reduce air traffic in the long term. It’s a scandal: we recently learned from reliable sources that cargo flights should be exempted from the kerosene tax at European level.’
“Instead of promoting public transport, rail and bicycle traffic and alternative transport options, the Saxon state government is fuelling the climate crisis with this project and acting for large companies such as DHL instead of the population. In this way, we are sending unchecked a 3-degree scenario with disastrous consequences for us, and with even more threatening consequences for the people of the global south,” Vogel continued.
