Thousands protest in Germany against government energy policy

Oliver Towfigh Nia

Thousands of people on Saturday took to the streets of Germany to protest against the government’s energy policy.

Under the slogan “defend renewable energy!” an alliance of environmental organizations had called for demonstrations in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Cologne.

The call to action stated: “Escalating energy prices, geopolitical crises, and authoritarian regimes show us how risky fossil fuels are.

“In light of rapidly rising energy prices resulting from the war in Iran and the increasingly severe consequences of the climate crisis, independence from fossil fuels is becoming an ever more critical factor in ensuring security and stability.”​​​​​​​

It added that what is needed now is to accelerate the expansion of solar and wind power. However, the environmental groups accused Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche and parts of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party of trying to slow down this process.

Meanwhile, participants in a demonstration in Munich accused Reiche of jeopardizing the success of the energy transition and favoring fossil fuels.

In Munich, the state chairman of the Nature Conservation Union, Martin Geilhufe, described Reiche’s grid package as “part of a concerted all-out attack on nature, the environment, and the climate.”

The federal government must not stifle the expansion of wind and solar energy, he warned.

Organizers reported 24,000 participants in Berlin and 12,000 in Munich. A total of 80,000 people took to the streets across all four cities, they said.