GERMANY: Restrictions and police violence during mass climate action in the Ruhr area
During the mass action against the planned construction of new fossil fuel power plants and the weapons industry, peaceful protesters faced police violence and restrictions on their right to protest. The protests, organised by the climate justice group Ende Gelände in May 2026, gathered nearly 2000 participants from Germany and abroad in the Ruhr area for several days. Reported restrictions included the banning of parts of the wave of protests, protesters being blocked on their way to registered assemblies, and excessive force against protesters, including the use of batons. Serious concerns have also been raised regarding the treatment of detained protesters. Individuals held in police custody were denied medical attention, food, and access to toilets. Others were held for several hours outdoors without shade in high temperatures or kept in overheated police vehicles.
The reported restrictions against Ende Gelände protesters are part of a broader trend of increasing repression and criminalisation of climate activism in Germany. The continued repressive policing measures against climate movements risk normalising the treatment of peaceful protest and climate activism as a security threat and have a chilling effect on civic participation more broadly.