Second day of protests prior to the General meeting of Siemens. The company is as an accelerator for the "climate Criminals" branded.

≤Healthy people for a healthy planet“, is one of the signs photo: imago

MUNICH taz | On the cold of the Morning, you are on the bridge to the Olympic hall and blocking the way. You are 25, 30 people. They have sleeping mats brought in, a younger woman playing the guitar – it is a "Die-In Protest" of the climate activists of the Extinction of Rebellion. Signs such as "Australia is burning" or "coal mines" are stop shown, so that the many Siemens shareholders, who want to the annual General meeting of your group, quickly clear, what is it about the young and older people. You need to squeeze between the underlying Protestierern by balancing or to the side to get to the hall.

The technology company must hold its annual General meeting under special circumstances. Since January, the participation of Siemens in the highly controversial coal mining project in Australia it became known, the company "in the center of the climate debate," as the Chairman of the Board Joe Kaeser will later say in his speech. Protesters from Fridays for the Future, Extinction, Rebellion, or Greenpeace came on the eve of the facade and the roof of the company had been occupied headquarters on wittelsbacherplatz of activists had rolled out a Banner out of: "Bush fires start here."

Now, hundreds of protesting at the entrance to the hall, which is backed up by the police with fences, the officers keep in the Background. The activist Lindsay Simpson is burns came from Australia, she says for the taz: "Our country, a billion animals have died." "From the blue earth we come", chant the protesters, "our climate is dying just as fast as we can."

Thomas Mayer, a retired employee in the public service, stands for an hour with his poster in front of the grid: "Siemens as a fire accelerant for the climate Criminals." Yes, he says, some of the Siemens-visitors would say that they were against the Australia business. An older gentleman in a suit and tie and shows him the middle finger. Another says: "none Of which goes to work." A woman adds: "The life of what we have saved, with Siemens shares."

heated So it is in the Olympic hall, which can accommodate up to 10,000 visitors, not to. However, since the climate issue is in the first place. The group has a legal presented with poor-to-date Figures, that he is to be divided in the three areas of the digital industry, health and energy – all interested on this day only the economic experts. There were many already, such a restructuring in the case of Siemens, which had turned out to be later hot air.

The argumentative thrust of the Siemens management it quickly becomes clear: The Australia-business, one should not conclude, now you have to. but by pulling, it also is a 18 million Euro, only a very small project "As the debate away from the topic," says the Chairman of the Board Jim Hagemann Snabe. To the finish, it was Yes, "in agreement with the climate protection movement". Siemens to strut up to the year 2030", a CO2-neutral future". In the past year, the emissions were orders to 50 percent lower than in 2014. And finally, we wanted to re-invent the "Siemens new".

Big words that you hear in a similar Modulation is also Chairman of the Board Joe Kaeser to. In the press conference in the Morning, he had referred to the Protest of environmentalists as "almost grotesque". In his speech, he confesses: "It is true that we have not detected the entire image of this order correctly and in good time." Because the climate crisis is an "existential threat". But: "protests alone bring no solution." For this he receives the first small round of applause.

Kaeser announces that the new part of the company "Siemens Energy" to get a so-called sustainability Committee, which includes members from outside the group can belong to. He wanted a "solution-oriented dialogue with all".

At the meeting, climate activists, which was about shareholders ' perception of the voice handed down. A younger man by the name of Corby has attracted a kangaroo costume, is determined by the ranks and is largely ignored. In the afternoon, Helena Marshall may talk of Fridays for the Future. She warns the shareholders that Siemens will lose customers in the future. Also it receives a little applause.