Left-wing climate activists have claimed responsibility for a series of arson attacks targeting 4×4 vehicles in Munich, Germany.
The incidents happened late on July 10, with two SUVs torched and several others damaged.
A letter then appeared on a known eco website claiming responsibility for the arson on behalf of a climate-activist group called “Last Generation”.
“We interpret the actions of the Munich and Berlin public prosecutors as an attack on all activists in the climate justice movement, not just on the LG,” the alleged perpetrators wrote. In response, they said, they “forced retirement of two BMW SUVs by means of an incendiary device”.
The Munich fire brigade said one of its crews had seen “a bright glow of fire and metres-high flames” and reported it back to base. Nearby buildings were also damaged but fire-fighters were able to intervene in time to stop them catching fire.
While the authenticity of the letter cannot be confirmed, in separate statements both the local police and fire department have acknowledged the attacks. The police said the force has called for witnesses to come forward and that the investigation has been taken over by the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Federal Criminal Police Office.
Zwei neue BMW X5 sind komplett ausgebrannt. Weitere #Fahrzeuge wurden durch die #Hitze beschädigt. Der ganze Bericht der #feuerwehrmuenchen https://t.co/gZZm9i4w80#wirfuermuenchen pic.twitter.com/yiRTPFqMWq
— Feuerwehr München (@BFMuenchen) July 10, 2023
This is not the first such incident of its kind and the alleged perpetrators have directed their message towards both the state and other Last Generation members.
They justified the latest attacks by referring to the mass arrests of Last Generation members. In May, 170 police officers raided multiple locations, and the organisation’s assets were frozen.
German police said that Last Generation had amassed up to €1.4 million to be used for criminal acts and also said two of the group’s members had been planning an attack on a Bavarian oil pipeline.
The self-proclaimed Last Generation climate radicals called on like-minded people to cease making “meaningless appeals” to the German Government over the environment.
They argued that the problem lies not just in wrong or insufficient climate decisions made by the national government but in the entire “damned system”.
Observers say this recent incident appears to have been inspired by previous arson attacks in Munich.
In early July, a Tesla and a Mini were set ablaze, with fire investigators ruling out any technical defects. Additionally, several vehicle parts were burned in the Schwabing district in mid-June, as reported by the Munich Evening News.
