"Criminal chaos"

ÖVP and FPÖ celebrate the end of the Last Generation

Climate stickers at a protest in Innsbruck in May (archive photo)

(Bild: Letzte Generation Österreich)

The climate protection movement Last Generation surprisingly announced on Tuesday that it was ending its protest actions in Austria in their current form. So far, the ÖVP and FPÖ parties have come forward and expressed their joy at the end. The Blue Party in particular had less than kind words.

"It's good that this spook has come to an end!" wrote Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on X about the announced end of the Last Generation protest actions.

He added: "I have always considered it wrong to deliberately make other people's everyday lives and their way to work more difficult."

"No fundamental right to sabotage actions"
"Apparently, after numerous court cases, the climate stickers have finally understood that Austria's roads are not a legal vacuum and that there is no fundamental right to their sabotage actions," said ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker. The "end of harassment" is therefore extremely welcome news.

Mikl-Leitner: "Good news for climate protection"
Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP), Governor of Lower Austria, echoed this sentiment: "This insight is good news for our fellow human beings and for climate protection. After all, the often excessive actions of the last generation have turned many people against climate protection."

The words from the Freedom Party camp were more drastic. "The madness has come to an end! This is the first good action ever by the climate activists," said Lower Austrian Deputy Governor Udo Landbauer (FPÖ).

Climate stickers at a protest action in Innsbruck in May (archive photo)

(Bild: Letzte Generation Österreich)

Blue criticism of the federal government
However, the blue politician also came down hard on the turquoise-green federal government. "It has always attacked these criminal chaotic individuals with kid gloves, we should never forget that. 

"Today, hundreds of thousands of commuters and motorists who were forced into traffic jams by these 'climate terrorists' with their crazy blockade actions can finally breathe a sigh of relief," reacted FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker.

Viennese ex-Green Birgit Hebein, on the other hand, believes on X that the end of the last generation is no reason to celebrate. 

Global 2000: "Important issue brought to the fore"
Even if the actions of the "Last Generation" were controversial, they had nevertheless brought an important issue to the fore: the rapidly advancing climate crisis, Global 2000 said in a press release. The climate movement would further shake up society.

"Fridays For Future" Austria thanked everyone "who has worked for a future worth living in recent years". However, now is not the time to give up or take more radical paths, the climate activists said in a press release, "but to become more strategic". "We will be loud and put our demands on the table," assured FFF Austria spokesperson Laila Kriechbaum.