Climate activists camp out in front of German chancellery

Some 3,000 environmental activists protested yesterday in front of the German chancellery building in Berlin, demanding action against climate change and the extinction of animal and plant species.The event was organised by Extinction Rebellion, an organisation founded in Britain whose protesters have taken to the streets around the world to demand governments declare “a climate and ecological emergency” and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.The German capital was bracing for traffic chaos today, when Extinction Rebellion plans to obstruct roads and intersections.Trains and underground transport was to be left unmolested.It remains unclear whether the protesters also aim to block Berlin’s two airports.About 1,000 environmental activists had camped overnight yesterday in front of the chancellery, before officially kicking off a week-long “climate camp”.It coincides with protests and events planned by Extinction Rebellion in 60 cities across the world starting from today.Workshops, seminars, entertainment events and daily yoga classes are on the programme over the course of the next week in Berlin, ending with a demonstration next Sunday.Organisers said they expect several thousand people to take part in the activities.It is the largest climate camp organised by Extinction Rebellion in Germany so far, as the group has been marginal in the country so far.Meanwhile, in France yesterday activists and members of the Extinction Rebellion protest group ended their occupation of a mall in southeastern Paris after 18 hours.They had blocked entrances and barricaded themselves inside to draw attention to government inaction on climate change.The protesters prevented shoppers from entering the premises of Italie Deux, a mall in the 13th arrondissement of the French capital.Extinction Rebellion’s French chapter said on Twitter that the goal was to occupy the mall for as long as possible to put pressure on the government to take stronger action to mitigate global warming.Protesters ended the occupation and cleared out of the mall without the police using force.