Monument of Fundamental Rights Vandalized by Climate Activists Near German Parliament

By Edward Era Barbacena

A group of all white activists known as the “Last Generation” has caused outrage after pouring black paint over an art installation known as “Basic Law 49” in Berlin.

The installation, created by Israeli artist Dani Karavan, consists of 19 panes of glass, each engraved with one of the 19 articles of the Basic Law in their 1949 version.

The work is located in an outer courtyard of the Jakob-Kaiser-Haus parliament building on the Spree promenade, and is owned by the German Bundestag.

According to their own statements, the activists were protesting against the continued use of fossil fuels such as oil. However, the action has been widely criticized, with Bundestag President Bas expressing outrage and a lack of understanding for it.

She explained that the Karavan installation is a reminder to respect and protect fundamental rights, including the basic rights of freedom of expression and assembly – the very rights on which the demonstrators themselves base their protests.

Federal Minister of Justice Buschmann also reacted with clear criticism, stating that the group had “dirtied” the Basic Law and that such actions could never be justified, regardless of the message they were trying to send.

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag, Roth, described the act as a “cheap, undignified action”, adding that the activists had destroyed art “similar to the Taliban”.

The police have announced that they have launched criminal investigations against six suspects. Bundestag President Bas has expressed her hope that the glass panels of the work of art have not been permanently damaged.