BERLIN, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Climate activists from the protest group Extinction Rebellion (XR) blocked the major traffic hub the Great Star in Berlin on Monday morning.
According to the German police, around 1,000 people protested at the central roundabout in Berlin which is built around the pillar Siegessaeule, one of the most famous landmarks of the German capital.
The German branch of the international protest group XR demanded the German government to "tell the truth" about the "ecological crisis" and to declare a climate emergency.
In addition, the group urged the German government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to "net zero" by 2025 and called for the establishment of a citizens' council to develop "necessary measures for climate justice and against the ecological catastrophe."
Berlin's senator of the interior Andreas Geisel told German public radio station RBB that such blockades of XR groups could be regarded as "spontaneous demonstrations" which would be permissible according to German law.
However, the Berlin government would also be prepared to act more vigorously if violence is used or critical infrastructures such as the airport would be affected, added Geisel.
