No this is not a satirical news piece, nor is it the tale of a kindergarten teacher and their class of spoilt children. This is the story of a group of nine mature-age “scientists” and their not-so-well thought out plan.
Members of “Scientist Rebellion”, a collection of so-called academics dressed in white lab coats, super-glued themselves to the concrete floor of the Porsche pavilion in Autostadt and the Volkswagen luxury cars exhibit in Wolfsburg as a protest against carbon emissions.
“Nine of us glued to the floor and some of us on hunger strike until our demands to decarbonise the German transport sector are met.”
Arguably a noble cause, but its execution seemed more like a poorly thought out third grader’s tantrum.
After just a few short hours, the eco-demonstrators took to Twitter to complain that the glue was irritating their hands, that they were hungry, and desperately needed the bathroom.
“Staff refused our request to provide us with a bowl to urinate and defecate in a decent manner while we are glued, and have now turned off the heating”
It wasn’t long before more complaints emerged on the group’s social media accounts;
“We can’t order our food, we must use the one provided by Volkswagen.”
That seems to be an odd complaint from a group said to be on a hunger strike.
When the museum staff knocked off for the day protestors complained that they were left in darkness, and that security guards did their rounds with “bright torches”.
“Lights off. Random unannounced checks by security guards with bright torches. Police just came in.”
The Twitter feed of the protestors reads more like satire than that of a well thought out plan from “academics” in white lab coats.
After a night sleeping on the floor, one of the demonstrators, Gianluca Grimalda, who had vowed to remain until Volkswagen agreed to lobby for low-carbon transport, voluntarily left after 24 hours when his hand swelled up from an adverse reaction to the glue. He tweeted an image of his swollen hand saying that a doctor had been brought in to examine him.
He said: “Doctors 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.”
Just over a day into the demonstration and with none of his demands met, Mr Grimalda was removed from the pavilion where activists say he was arrested and transported to hospital.
In complete contrast to those complaining of not being fed, Mr Grimalda instead continued his hunger strike in hospital.
Shortly after, another protestor tweeted: “Now, just a few minutes later they’re warning us that we need to leave immediately otherwise we’ll be arrested.”
Images showed police inside the pavilion and the demonstrators being arrested outside, ending the protest on its second day.
Incredible. You really can’t make this stuff up.
