An activist from the Last Generation climate action group sprayed paint on the Main Building of Technische Universität (TU) Berlin in the early hours of 16 October 2023 to coincide with the start of the lecture period. Emergency personnel took the details of the person, who had sprayed the TU Berlin lettering and part of the projecting roof above the entrance as well as the entrance doors and the floor of the Main Building using a converted fire extinguisher. According to a police spokeswoman, the person was released on the spot. TU Berlin has filed a complaint for damage to property.
“Some actions defy understanding. I can’t grasp the logic that thinks that spraying paint on a wall can help the cause of climate protection. But even harder to understand is why we don’t have speed limits on freeways,” said TU president Professor Dr. Geraldine Rauch in response to events.
The incident was followed some time later by another Last Generation action at Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, which saw the building known as the Holzlaube smeared with paint.
TU Berlin immediately commissioned a company to assess the material damage in order to carry out a cleanup operation. The situation is complicated by the fact that parts of the smeared area are listed buildings.
