German chancellor calls some climate activists’ protests ‘nutty’

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has sharply criticized climate activists as “nutty” for drastic protests such as blocking streets or gluing themselves to famous paintings in museums. During a visit Monday to a school outside Berlin, Scholz said that he thought it was “completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street.” The chancellor added that he didn’t think anybody’s opinion on climate change could be changed by such actions but rather that such protests made people angry. The pressure group Last Generation, which has repeatedly blocked roads across Germany, responded angrily to Scholz’s remarks, accusing him of ignoring the risk that global warming poses to young people.