Climate activists build camp outside German chancellery

BERLIN – German members of the international protest movement Extinction Rebellion have started setting up a camp outside Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office ahead of a planned week of demonstrations for new climate policies.

Organizer Annemarie Botzki said Saturday some 5,000 people from across Germany are expected for the protest which is aimed at urging the government to pursue policies based on grass-roots proposals drawing on expert opinion.

She says the government’s recent climate proposal is “entirely insufficient” and that Germany’s “climate policies haven’t been sufficient for years.”

The protesters plan to block major arteries in the German capital, beginning Monday with Potsdamer Platz, following the example of their group’s actions in London and elsewhere earlier this year.

Founded in Britain last year, the movement, also known as XR, now boasts chapters in some 50 countries.