Motorists blocked – climate activists shut down Graz city traffic

Shortly before 8 a.m., two men and a woman in orange high-visibility vests took their seats in front of the crosswalk connecting the Iron Gate to Jakominiplatz, preventing all cars and buses from continuing their journey.

The activists of the “Last Generation” protest movement held two banners in their hands. “Stop the destruction of fossils!” read one. On the other hand, Tempo 100 was required for all cars.

Motorists irritated by protest
Traffic jams quickly developed on the ring road and the blocked drivers soon lost their nerves. An elderly man called the three protesters “snots” in a tirade.

“We don’t like this either, but in the end it’s about the government not taking free and simple measures, such as 100 km/h on the highway. It just isn’t possible. I could have imagined something nicer on a Monday morning,” he said. the blonde among the activists.

Police intervened after an hour
Police arrived after a few minutes, but initially did not end the sit-in. At around 8.45 am, the activists were asked to leave the road via a loudspeaker announcement and were carried away a short time later by police officers.

As early as 8:16 a.m., the “Last Generation” issued a press release about today’s campaign. It was proud of the protest: “This morning, citizens in Graz also stood in the way of the destruction of fossils for the first time. Despite the cold and the rain, they have peacefully and resolutely brought the traffic on the Joanneumring to a halt with their bodies to demand the simplest of all simple austerity measures: 100 km/h on the autobahn.”