The Vienna public prosecutor’s office has filed charges against 40 individuals from the former climate activist group “Last Generation” on suspicion of serious property damage, and against two additional former members for property damage. However, the accusation of forming a criminal organization has been dropped. “The facts of the case did not fulfill the legal definition,” said spokesperson Nina Bussek to APA.
One activist from the group of main defendants must also face court for resisting state authority and causing serious bodily harm, according to the indictment obtained by APA. During an action in October 2023 in front of the St. Pölten provincial government building, he allegedly caused a police officer to fall by yanking a modified fire extinguisher. In addition to blockade actions, the indictment lists incidents from the past year — such as multiple paint-throwing protests in other federal states and at Vienna-Schwechat Airport — as well as a protest involving dog feces in front of the ÖVP party headquarters in Vienna in January.
Ex-spokesperson Hagen-Canaval calls trial a “farce”
With 42 defendants, over 20 summoned witnesses, defense attorneys, and judicial representatives, a major trial is now looming. The former spokesperson of “Last Generation,” Marina Hagen-Canaval, called the proceedings “a farce.” The charges serve “only to deter civic engagement,” she told APA. The group was ready to face the consequences of its protests, she said, but an “inactive government” must also be held accountable.
“The public prosecutor’s office has now itself recognized that these climate protests amount to property damage — not the actions of a criminal organization,” said attorney Paul Kessler, a member of the defendants’ legal team, in a statement to APA. He called the accusations “grossly exaggerated.” Attorney Clemens Lahner, who also represents several of the former protesters, added that the defense would “look closely at how much of the property damage accusations actually hold up.” Lawyer Ralf Niederhammer called for “a sober and objective trial” after “years of political hysteria and excessive allegations.”
Investigations since 2023
The investigations into the suspected formation of a criminal organization and serious property damage became public in 2023 after a wave of protests in November. Activists had glued themselves using a sand-superglue mixture — so-called “mummy hands” — to locations including Vienna’s Ringstraße and the A2 South Motorway. Firefighters had to remove several protesters from the road using drills. “The protests had reached a new level,” said prosecutor Judith Ziska at the time.
The judiciary’s tougher stance subsequently sparked broad public debate and several parliamentary inquiries. Numerous NGOs criticized the proceedings.
