Anger at climate activists disrupting start of Formula E race in Berlin

It was a strange sight: several protesters quietly climbing over the fences at the very moment the Formula E drivers were getting ready for the start of the ePrix in Berlin. While the backfield drove to the starting position, several climate protesters sat down dead in front of the cars. After the race, there was a widespread misunderstanding about the action.

The protesters involved in this demonstration appear to be activists from Letzte Generation. On Twitter, the organisation posted videos of the action. In it, they can be seen climbing over the fence of the former Tempelhof airport without any problems. Only after a few seconds, a group of security guards run onto the runway to remove them.

++ Autorennen gestört ++

eFORMELde, um Alarm zu schlagen.

Es ist Zeit, vom Gas zu gehen. Denn wir sind auf dem Highway in die Klimahölle mit dem Fuß auf dem Gaspedal. pic.twitter.com/Ml23sO1efT

— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) April 23, 2023

On the way to climate hell

On Twitter, the activists explain their actions. They wrote: "We are on the Formula E race track to sound the alarm. It is time to slow down. Because we are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator." The protesters also write: "The elderly woman in her rented flat in Tempelhof is freezing all winter because of her justified fear of the next electricity bill, and just a few metres away, masses of valuable energy are lost every second to our cheers. As happy as we are that it's now e-cars racing down the track, the maths don't add up!"

Jean-Éric Vergne, who finished third behind winners Nich Cassidy and Jake Dennis, reacted to the action mostly in disbelief afterwards: "If this happens a few minutes later, it becomes very dangerous. This is incomprehensible because we are at a race for electric cars," the Frenchman said at the press conference.