Civil Disobedience in the Face of the Climate Crisis: Analysing the Role, Legitimacy, and Media Representation of the Last Generation’s Protests in Germany

The paper “Civil Disobedience in the Face of the Climate Crisis” analyzes the legitimacy, role, and media portrayal of the Last Generation’s protests in Germany. Despite the longstanding warnings from scientists, effective political action against the climate crisis has been inadequate. While the Fridays for Future movement has meanwhile been co-opted by political actors, the Last Generation deliberately resists such influences. Their protests, beginning in early 2022, use symbolic acts of law-breaking to highlight the urgency of the climate crisis, sparking a polarized response from both the media and the legal system. The authors discuss whether these actions meet the criteria of civil disobedience as defined by theorists like Rawls and Habermas, emphasizing that they are nonviolent, symbolic and serve a public purpose. The paper criticizes the predominantly negative media coverage, which undermines the legitimacy of the protests and may influence public perception and judicial outcomes. The authors argue that a more nuanced media representation is essential to foster a constructive public discourse and to adequately address the climate emergency.