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Ariana Baio
Oct 21, 2022
Scientists Rebellion activists glue their hands to the Porsche exhibition centre's floor
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Climate activists from Scientist Rebellion found themselves in a conundrum after gluing their hands to the floor of a car showroom only to realize there was nowhere to go to the bathroom.
On Wednesday, nine members of the climate activist group glued their hands to the floor of the Porsche exhibition center at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Each one sat glued in front of a luxury car, some on hunger strike, demanding the Volkswagen CEO talk to them to advocate for a speed limit of 100 km/h throughout Germany.
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Although the protesters intended to stay overnight, they quickly ran into some problems when their demands were not being met.
Dr. Gianluca Grimalda, social psychologist at a German research institute, tweeted on Wednesday night that despite VW supporting the right to protest, "they refused our request to provide us with a bowl to urinate and defecate in a decent manner while we are glued".
\u201c.@VW told us that they supported our right to protest, but they refused our request to provide us with a bowl to urinate and defecate in a decent manner while we are glued, and have turned off the heating. People in support can't get out of the building. 2/\u201d— gianluca grimalda (@gianluca grimalda) 1666201623
Dr. Grimalda said they also turned off the heat and lights and refused to let people back into the building.
\u201cJust a clarification: people in support can get out of the building but then they couldn't get back in. We can't order our food, we must use the one provided by Wolkswagen. Lights off. Random unannounced checks by security guards with bright torches. Police just came in.3/\u201d— gianluca grimalda (@gianluca grimalda) 1666201623
After 24 hours of sitting with his hand glued to the floor, Dr. Grimalda was forced to leave at the suggestion of doctors because he was at risk of developing "life-threatening blood clots" in his hand.
Although the manager initially refused to let the doctor in, he eventually complied.
\u201cDoctors ascertained the possibility of life-threatening blood clots in my hand and recommended an immediate transfer to a hospital. My health is of course paramount. I accepted to leave this wonderful group and was taken to hospital, continuing my hunger strike.8/\u201d— gianluca grimalda (@gianluca grimalda) 1666201623
"VW spends over 6.5 million on lobbying in Berlin thereby opposing and delaying climate protection measures such as a 100 km/h speed limit and the 9€ ticket for transport," a press release for Scientists Rebellion says. "In doing so, VW is contributing to the failure of the Paris Agreement."
Similar protests have popped up around Europe including a group throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Another activist group deflates the tires of luxury vehicles to protest carbon emissions.
The Scientists Rebellion protest ended after 42 hours when Autostadt and VW called the police to break up the protest. Hands were unglued using a special solution.
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