“Just Run Over Them” - Experiences, Perceptions and Evaluations of Violence Among Activists of Letzte Generation

Abstract

In the last years, Letzte Generation has been a prominent and controversial group of climate activists in Germany. In 2021, the group began protesting across Germany, inspired by strategies of civil disobedience throughout Germany. Since then, a broad debate has erupted about Letzte Generation, their strategies, goals and legitimacy. Videos of attacks, threats and verbal abuse of activists by bystanders appeared. To get an understanding of the activists’ experiences and the violence they face on a regular basis, we conducted narrative interviews and a group discussion with activists from Letzte Generation in different cities. Through an analysis guided by the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), we sought to answer the following questions: What forms of violence manifest in the activists’ stories and experiences? How do activists perceive and process violence in the context of their activism? What role do group dynamics within the Letzte Generation play in the perception and processing of violence? Our findings reveal a range of violent experiences (verbal, physical, state repression, media violence). Activists perceive violence against themselves as normal while violence against other activists is perceived as more serious. They use emotional suppression, collective structures and rules, and conjunctive knowledge to navigate these experiences. In addition, the group uses utilitarian logic to justify the risks they take. Members of the group found themselves in conflicts between group needs and individual priorities, in some cases causing psychological distress, in others motivation for further engagement.