This is the moment a fed-up motorist resorted to violence to break up a street-blocking eco-protest in Germany.
Shocking video captured the moment an enraged man jumped onto the B36 highway near the Victoria Tower in Mannheim and began punching and kicking a series of activists from Last Generation – a German climate protection movement.
The attacker, wearing a white vest and gray sweatpants, was one of several irate motorists who confronted the eco-fanatics who had donned orange uniforms and sat on the tarmac, driving three lanes backwards.
When the protesters remained seated and refused to move, he snapped, lashing out with fists and feet in anger and dragging them away.
But Aimée van Baalen, the group’s spokeswoman, remains steadfast in their commitment to continue similar protests despite the controversy.
She claims that Last Generation will not be deterred by opposition and is resolute in its mission to draw attention to climate change.
“The federal government ignored our protest for so long that now scenes like yesterday’s in Mannheim have occurred – this saddens and shocks us,” she said, blaming authorities for the continuation of the protests.
It comes just days after a disgruntled police officer poured vegetable oil over the head of a protester blocking a bridge.
The enraged motorists grab the protester’s hair before hitting him in the face with his fist
The man is seen pulling the protester off the road as other irritated motorists look on
He returns to kick and punch another member of the group
An image shared by German newspaper Rheinpfalz showed the police officer holding a huge can of oil and dropping it on the neck of the orange-clad protester on the Konrad Adenauer Bridge between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen on Saturday.
Mannheim police confirmed to German media that they were investigating the case, but declined to comment on the officer’s actions.
Last Generation has built a reputation for its road protests, with demonstrators often gluing themselves to the tarmac in actions similar to those of Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil in Britain.
The group carried out 276 roadblocks in Germany alone in 2022.
The latest incidents in Mannheim come weeks after a Last Generation protester was hit by a truck from a low-carbon energy company.
In July, three protesters were dragged out of the way by an irate truck driver who worked for low-carbon energy company Air Liquide. They then ran in front of the truck again before one of them was knocked into the air.
Air Liquide is the official hydrogen supporter of the Paris Olympic Games and is working to innovate ‘the development of low-carbon hydrogen and biomethane for the energy transition’.
Climate activists of the ‘Letzte Generation’ (Last Generation) hold a protest march in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district
Police officer Chiara Malz and activists from the Letzte Generation (last generation), a climate movement known to create roadblocks by gluing themselves to roads, attend a press conference outside the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, September 8, 2023
The photo shows the driver trying to drag the protester sitting on the road from under the truck
The truck plowed through the protesters, knocking one back before the driver stopped
The footage showed the driver pushing one of the protesters after he blocked the road
The driver of the truck initially jumps out to push and drag the activists aside.
Once they’re back in place, he begins to move slowly forward – then shunts the activist closest to the sidewalk. The force is enough to send the young man flying back and bystanders come to his aid.
The truck driver throws his hands up in frustration and stops the truck before jumping out of the cab again to pull the protesters aside.
Air Liquide provided the following statement to MailOnline: ‘On July 12, Air Liquide was made aware of an altercation in Stralsund, Germany, between an external contract driver from Air Liquide Medical Gases and local protesters.
“Images show unacceptable behavior by the driver that is in no way consistent with Air Liquide’s values.
“The third party contractor has been advised that Air Liquide will no longer accept the services of this individual.”