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In an era marked by unprecedented environmental challenges, activism has emerged as a driving force for change and two significant movements have played very crucial roles within the last years: the Fridays for Future Movement and the Last Generation Activism. While both aim to combat climate change, they represent different approaches and generational perspectives. For this blog post, I had originally planned to transition from online to offline activism and join a demonstration of the last generation, as well as one organised by Fridays for Future in Vienna. However, the flu thwarted my plans. Therefore, in this post, I’d like to examine the online activism of the last generation and compare it with the online presence of Fridays for Future, wondering if the actions of the last generation are also attracting such a significant wave of attention online – but let’s start from the beginning.
Fridays for Future
It all began on August 20, 2018, three weeks before the elections in Sweden. Greta Thunberg stood in front of the Swedish parliament in Stockholm with her self-made sign that reads “Skolstrejk för Klimatet” and calls on the government to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. On the same day, her photo went viral on both Instagram and Twitter and only a short time later, young people from all over Sweden joined in. The movement quickly gained global recognition and mass demonstrations organised via social media followed worldwide under the name or hashtag Fridays for Future (FfF). What is sensational about it is that young people demonstrate on Friday mornings instead of attending school (De Moor et al., 2020). The aim is to limit the self-inducted global rise in temperature caused by greenhouse effects to a maximum increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows that the 1.5 degree increase could be reached as early as 2030, ten years earlier than forecast in 2018 (IPCC 2021). The Fridays for Future movement sees itself as self-organised and independent of political parties. All individuals who align with the goals of the movement are invited to participate. Additionally, democratic and transparent work, as well as operating with open structures are important. Violence is not accepted and cooperation with the police is encouraged (Fridays for Future, 2023).
Fridays for Future uses social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube for both information dissemination and organisational purposes. The largest account, with over half a million followers, is the German Instagram channel of Fridays for Future. The international account counts 456,000 followers and current demands and topics such as the UN Climate Conference 2023 (COP 27), the end of fossil fuels, but also the Middle East conflict determine the content of the channel.
The Last Generation
The Last Generation, a coalition of climate activists in Germany, Austria and Italy was founded after a climate hunger strike in Berlin in 2021 and campaigns for more decisive action against climate change, primarily through civil disobedience. One of the main motives is also to meet the 1.5 degree target and to end subsidies for fossil fuels. According to the movement, the current generation is the last generation that can do anything about global warming and reaching tipping points in the Earth’s climate system. Other demands include a speed limit of 100km/h on German highways, a permanent nine-euro train ticket and the establishment of a social council to develop measures on how Germany can end the use of fossil fuels by 2030 (Wenzel, 2023). The actions of the last generation repeatedly hit the negative headlines, with some media even talking about radical actions. With hunger strikes, art vandalism and road blockades, the last generation generated a great deal of attention, even via social media, but above all in the media. The actions are not always well received, as a representative survey conducted last year by the opinion research institute Civey shows. 81 percent of people in Germany who voted criticise the climate protests of the last generation. (Augsburger Allgemeine) On the official website of the Last Generation, it is stated that the methodology of using protests to be provocative is intentionally adopted so that it cannot be overlooked. However, it is emphazised that this is not intended to intentionally inconvenience fellow citizens.
The online presence of both movements
I have been following the online presence of both movements on Twitter over the last few weeks and have noticed both positive and negative feedback from followers. In recent weeks, critical voices have been raised on Fridays for Future, especially when it comes to the Middle East conflict. The last generation, on the other hand, only discusses dates for upcoming protests or video and image material from past actions on either Instagram or Twitter. Many of the past actions show violent shots of people dragging the activists off the streets, pushing them or even hitting them, whereupon the protesters do not behave aggressively, but simply try not to be disturbed. One of the most popular protest actions of the Last Generation is the smearing of a Monet painting, the video was published by the last generation itself and went viral internationally:
Political science shows that non-violence is a very important aspect of activism, because people are much more likely to be convinced by non-violent resistance than by violent resistance.As Fridays for Future appeals to a younger generation, activity on Twitter is limited, but the Instagram channel is regularly filled with new images, most of which are prompts or retrospectives of past protests.
Screenshot of the latest Instagram Feed
From political science, it emerges that nonviolence is a pivotal factor – people are much more likely to be convinced through nonviolent resistance than through violent means (Lambach et al. 2023). The ultimate goal of both movements remains the same: to create a climate-just world for all. Now, I am curious to hear your perspective on the militant activities of the Last Generation. Do you believe the protest actions are garnering the desired attention to accelerate political action? I’m curious to hear your thoughts in the comments and discuss with you!
Header image via Pexels
References:
Augsburger Allgemeine. (2022). Acht von zehn Deutschen verurteilen Klima-Proteste der “Letzten Generation”. Retrieved from https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/special/bayern-monitor/umfrage-acht-von-zehn-deutschen-verurteilen-klima-proteste-der-letzten-generation-id64479841.html on November 4th 2023.
De Moor, K., Uba, M., Wahlström, M. (2020). Protest for a Future II: Composition, mobilisation and motives of the participants in Fridays for Future climate protests on 20-27 September, 2019, in 19 cities around the world. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339443851_Protest_for_a_future_II_Composition_mobilization_and_motives_of_the_participants_in_Fridays_For_Future_climate_protests_on_20-27_September_2019_in_19_cities_around_the_world on 26th October 2023.
Fridays for Future Official Website. (2023). How to strike. Retrieved from https://fridaysforfuture.org/take-action/how-to-strike/ on November 1st 2023.
Fridays for Future Austria. (2023). Statement zur letzten Generation. Retrieved from https://fridaysforfuture.at/themen/statement-zur-letzten-generation#:~:text=W%C3%A4hrend%20die%20Letzte%20Generation%20mit,eine%20klimagerechte%20Welt%20f%C3%BCr%20alle. On November 6th 2023.
IPCC: Climate Change 2021. The Physical Science Basis. Online verfügbar unter https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf, zuletzt geprüft am 16.08.2021.
Lambach, D., Markus, B., Bethke, F., Dressler, M., Dudouet, V. (2023). Gewaltfreier Widerstand und demokratische Konsolidierung. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-26102-2 on November 6th 2023.
Wenzel, Simon (2023). https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2023/04/klima-aktivisten-gruppen-letzte-generation-fridays-for-future-extinction-rebellion.html
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