On Saturday, the 9th of December, a coalition of hundreds of people from an array of social and climate groups called the “Stop Fossil Subsidies” alliance, blocked the Elsen bridge in Berlin, Germany for hours. People from all age groups joined in the blockade, many of them singing, chanting and dancing to drum music provided by XR Drummers. Some of them had donned costumes — dinosaurs or tanks of oil. Many carried signs with them reading “Stop Fossil Subsidies” and “Stop Oil.”

Marit Schatzmann , spokeswoman for Parents Against the Fossil Industry, had this to say: “While Scholz [Chancellor of Germany] speaks in Dubai of his firm determination to phase out fossil fuels, his government in Germany is funding the burning of oil, gas and coal with more than 48 billion euros. The subsidization of climate collapse must stop and the money must be used for socially just change in our society.”

“The government is burning tax money twice. First through subsidies for fossil fuels and then through the consequential damage caused by climate change-related environmental disasters. Because the main causes of climate change are rich people and companies in the Global North,” says Fabienne Lang from Sand in the Gears Berlin.

Simon Lachner, spokesman for the Last Generation, said: “Today we are blocking the Elsenbrücke, over which the A100 is supposed to run, a motorway that costs an insane 225,000 euros per meter. We are calling for these enormous sums to finally be invested in local public transport so that it becomes more attractive to leave your car behind. In this way, emissions in Germany can continue to fall and we can finally stop racing at full speed into the wall.”

Amelie Meyer from Extinction Rebellion explains: “Germany is only making fossil fuel companies richer through these subsidies. There is apparently a lack of money for basic child welfare, social housing or the €49 ticket and ecological transformation. This needs to end now.”

The alliance wants to bring awareness to the understanding that Germany distributes more than 30 billion euros every year as subsidies — in the transport sector alone. They have said that they will continue to protest and disrupt until German fossil subsidies are ended, once and for all.

The alliance announced the next action for February 3, 2024. "This is just the start of the campaign. In the coming year we will see significantly more people on the streets. We are [basing our actions] on the protests in the Netherlands, where there [has been] mass civil disobedience. This has led to clear reactions in politics and society,” said Lorette Gebert from the Last Generation.

After 27 days of blocking an important road in The Netherlands in The Hague, and after 9,000 arrests, the government agreed to come up with a phase out plan for fossil subsidies in The Netherlands. The actions and the success of these brave people have been an inspiration to many thousands around the world, and they have reshaped the public mind in their country. It's clear that the positive effects of this success and resistance are reverberating in Germany.

The Stop Fossil Subsidies alliance is made up of: 350.org, Bridge of Faith, Parents Against the Fossil Industry, Extinction Rebellion, Climate Fair Living Initiative, Think Straight, Last Generation, Sand in the gears Berlin and Scientist Rebellion.