Greenpeace, Amnesty protest near German parliament to demand refugee rights

Environmental group Greenpeace and Amnesty International activists staged a joint protest Thursday on Berlin's Spree River, demanding better protection for refugees and climate justice ahead of World Refugee Day.

Demonstrators displayed a 60-square-meter (646-square-foot) floating banner in front of the German parliament building with the message "The Climate Crisis Knows No Borders." A second banner, measuring 15 by 4 meters (49 by 13 feet), featured barbed wire imagery to illustrate how climate change transcends borders while protesting human rights violations through pushbacks and harsh measures.

"Borders don't stop the climate crisis. Those who lose their homes due to climate impacts and war deserve protection - not exclusion and isolation," Fawad Durrani, a Greenpeace expert for climate and migration, said during the protest action.

"Instead of making refugees scapegoats for failed social policies, we need a narrative change and policies that resolutely oppose the atmosphere of hostility," said Sophie Scheytt, asylum policy expert at Amnesty International in Germany.

During the protest, activists displayed banners with messages reading "Human Rights for All!", "Defend Asylum Rights!" and "The Climate Crisis Knows No Borders!". The demonstration temporarily halted boat traffic around the parliament building as activists called on the German government to support refugees through safe admission programs.

The action coincided with Greenpeace's release of a new study, "Climate Change, Migration and Conflict," ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20.

According to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, more than 122 million people were displaced worldwide in 2024. The majority remain in their home countries or neighboring nations, with Europe taking only a small share of international protection responsibilities.