German climate activist nears death after three months of hunger strike

Four climate activists are currently on hunger strike in a camp in front of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs. 49-year-old engineer Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, who was the first to start, has not eaten for 92 days. The initiative says that they will only stop their hunger strike after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz makes a public statement that includes three scientific facts:

• The existence of humanity is extremely endangered by the climate catastrophe.
• There is no remaining carbon budget, we have already emitted too much CO2.
• Radical change is needed, even if it’s years late.

The medics gave up responsibility for Wolfi, short for Wolfgang, at the beginning of last week. He was hospitalized three days ago, and doctors said that he was close to permanent damage or even death. He returned to the camp a day later and said he would continue his hunger strike. The other activists have not eaten for 74, 31 and 22 days respectively

For the first 72 days of his hunger strike, Metzeler-Kick still consumed juices and minerals. Since then, he has only drank water, which is called an absolute hunger strike. He and one other activist wanted to enter into a dry hunger strike two days ago, which means no liquids whatsoever and leads to death within a few days.

Today, he announced that they will take vitamins and drink water and juices again for one week. They want to give Chancellor Scholz more time to meet their demands and to counter accusations of extortion. Olaf Scholz said that he cannot make his decisions based on extortion and that hunger strikes were not a legitimate instrument of democratic participation. “My biggest wish is that this action stops,” he said, but adding that this was up to the activists and not him.

If their demands were not met within a week, the activists announced in a press conference today, they would enter into absolute and possibly dry hunger strike again, and other activists would join. Journalists who talked to Metzeler-Kick in recent days said that he seemed determined to risk his life and die for his cause.

A different group of seven climate activists successfully went on a hunger strike in the same park in 2021 and stopped it after nearly 30 days when the newly elected Chancellor Scholz agreed to a public talk with them, which was their main demand. It seems like Scholz is reluctant to repeat this.

Several groups of the German climate movement have been watching this protest with concern. The “Fridays for Future” activist Tadzio Müller addressed Wolfi in a blog post: “You are risking your life for nothing.” He is sure that Scholz will not meet the demands and that even Wolfi’s death won’t have any political impact.

(NS/DT)