MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - Two weeks before German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) opens the International Motor Show IAA, left-wing climate activists have called for actions under the slogan #blockIAA. The action alliances Sand im Getriebe, No Future for IAA and SmashIAA want to disrupt the course of the IAA in Munich and "show how capitalism turns car companies into profiteers of climate crisis, neocolonial exploitation and armament."

Mira Klein of SmashIAA said Wednesday, "For their profits, car companies not only accept the destruction of our planet, but also don't shy away from murderous deals with military vehicles and weapons." Luise Weil, spokeswoman for Sand im Getriebe, said car companies are imposing "a mobility on people that only serves to pump money into the accounts of a few." The group calls for "an end to car production" and "production that makes not cars, but the things that allow us to live well: streetcars, commuter trains, bicycles, intercity buses." Electric cars "only mask the problems of the car."

Anti-auto activists are planning a major demonstration on September 10 from Munich's Luitpoldpark, where about 1,500 activists are expected to gather in a protest camp from September 5. The group Last Generation criticized "the climate killer Chancellor Scholz" and announced "massive traffic blockades in Munich" already from Thursday this week./rol/DP/mis