Environmental Activists in Germany Make False Calls to Emergency Services - Police

BERLIN (Sputnik) - A number of false calls to emergency services have been made by environmental activists in the German city of Essen, the city police said on Wednesday.

“On Tuesday evening, fire department and police emergency units were called via the emergency call app Nora to several allegedly urgent emergency situations in the area of the city. In the aftermath, a group of self-proclaimed environmental activists claimed responsibility for the deeds,” the Essen police said.

Unidentified people reported an alleged gas leak in a residential building and a man “covered in blood.” However, according to the police, law enforcement officers found neither of the reported cases at the scene. Later in the day, the alleged activists left a message via the chat feature of the emergency call app.

“You thought it was an emergency, but the real emergency - the looming climate catastrophe, which will kill millions of people, is being permanently ignored by our politicians. We will continue this form of protest until our federal government adopts effective legislation to prevent the climate catastrophe,” the activists wrote, according to the police of the city.

During the rest of the day, further calls about an alleged armed burglary were received by the police, as well as calls about another alleged gas leak.

The police noted that a large number of officers had been unavailable for other operational emergencies due to these false calls.

An investigation into the abuse of emergency calls has been launched. Law enforcement bodies believe that a group of self-proclaimed environmental activists from southern Germany was involved in the false calls.

Earlier in the day, climate activists from the German movement “Last Generation” (Letzte Generation) sawed off the top of Berlin's main Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate.