Climate Activists Mull Plan To Interrupt 2021 IAA In Munich

Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) has faced many hurdles with its Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA), otherwise known as the Frankfurt Motor Show. Just last year, the organizer had to move the auto show from Frankfurt, the city where it was held for the past (almost) 70 years. IAA will be taking place in Munich, moving forward, and it’s scheduled to happen this September.

However, it seems things aren’t going to be that easy for the international auto show. According to a report by Automotive News Europe, climate activists are mulling a disruption this year, backed by a slogan: #blockIAA – disempower car companies, protect the climate.

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Despite the IAA’s effort to broaden the event’s focus to cover forms of individual mobility, activists aren’t impressed. A protest group called “Sand in the Gears” told Automotive News Europe: “In September, we stand in the way of the destructive car madness.”

In a statement sent to the news outlet, the spokesperson added that “neither from a social nor an ecological point of view are electric cars a solution.”

“We are heading unchecked toward a climate catastrophe. Despite this, Germany continues to press the accelerator: ever bigger and fatter cars are clogging up our roads, taking away the air we breathe and heating up the climate,” said the spokesperson.

According to Automotive News Europe, these protesters were also the ones who blocked the main entrance to the IAA back in 2019, causing some ruckus in Frankfurt.

Prior to this report, VDA was forced to limit the IAA this year because of the ongoing pandemic. The organizers also had to scale down the auto show because of major automakers that will not participate, namely Toyota, Opel, Peugeot, and Fiat.

The IAA in Munich is set to happen on September 7-12, 2021.

Source: https://www.motor1.com/news/526383/munich-iaa-climate-activist-disruption/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-category-industry