Successor to the Last Generation | New Generation against Springer: In the Name of Democracy

Lunchtime rush in Berlin's supermarkets . Edmund Schultz and Eckart Pscheidl-Jeschke stroll into a Rewe supermarket in the Mitte district as if they were among those looking for a quick meal. The folded newspapers that Pscheidl-Jeschke has tucked under his arm are barely noticeable.

Instead of heading for the refrigerated ready-meal section or the baked goods, the two head purposefully toward the magazine rack next to the checkout. A quick search, and they've spotted their target. Schultz pulls out his cell phone and begins filming as his colleague takes out all the copies of the "Bild" newspaper and replaces them with the ones under his arm.

These bear little resemblance to the original; the "Bild newspaper on the wave of resistance" is printed in a striking orange. Large images and striking headlines are nevertheless intended to remind us of the original. The title of the substitute product: "Human dignity is inviolable."

On this day, 12 small groups of the New Generation are visiting supermarkets across Berlin for what they call an "image change." This is part of the so-called "Wave of Resistance," the group's first major protests since the end of the Last Generation. The previous weekend, a "People's Parliament" took place, in which randomly selected sympathizers discussed the future of democracy.

"This newspaper is causing a huge divide in society," Pscheidl-Jeschke says to the camera. Then he moves to the hygiene products. The 55-year-old places the "Bild" newspapers with the toilet paper and hides them under a package. He comments on his actions: "I'm now sorting them where I think they'll be in good hands – where they'll be easy to use."

The campaign doesn't cause any problems at any of the supermarkets. Neither employees nor customers notice the unusual exchange. Edmund Schultz and Eckart Pscheidl-Jeschke repeatedly leave the Rewe, Edeka, and Lidl stores unchallenged.

The media also shows little interest in the campaign. The New Generation may have a new name, but many of its problems remain the same. One of them is that attention is not garnered through quiet—albeit creative—actions, but rather through disruption, which, however, often meets with social rejection.

Actions like those two days before: On Sunday evening, just as the People's Parliament was ending, a rental van drove up to the Axel Springer printing plant in Berlin-Spandau. According to the Berlin police, around 40 people then attempted to block access to the printing plant, thereby disrupting the delivery of "Bild." But the police were prepared and immediately arrested the activists. Even though their attempt failed, the media response was huge. So was the outrage. The FDP Brandenburg and the German Journalists' Union (DJU) Berlin-Brandenburg criticized the protests as an attack on press freedom .

A new attempt was made on the night of Wednesday into Thursday: This time, only six activists drove to the printing plant in several rented cars, including Eckart Pscheidl-Jeschke. Arriving at the entrances, they climbed onto the roofs of the vehicles and taped themselves to the roofs. After about two hours, the fire department began removing the activists from the roofs. According to the DJU Berlin-Brandenburg, in addition to the Axel Springer newspapers "Bild," "Welt," and "BZ," the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Tagesspiegel were also printed at the printing plant. The journalists' organization wrote: "All newspapers were delivered on time and sent to readers."

But why is Neue Generation targeting "Bild" so strongly with its first major campaigns since its reorientation? The activists hold the newspaper partly responsible for social division and citizens' loss of trust in democratic institutions. "Bild spreads right-wing narratives and denies the climate crisis," adds Raphael Thelen, a former journalist and co-founder of Neue Generation. The activists also accuse the Axel Springer Group of exerting party-political influence. They point, among other things, to the alleged text message from CEO Mathias Döpfner to the then editor-in-chief of "Bild" calling for the FDP to be strengthened, as well as to the guest article featuring an AfD advertisement by Elon Musk in "Welt."

The criticism of political interference is not only directed at the Axel Springer Group. The influence of the financial and fossil fuel lobby on the Bundestag is also said to be far too great. The Neue Generation speaks of a "worrying state of our democracy." And so, at the end of the week-long wave of resistance, there was also an attempted blockade of an entrance to the Bundestag's underground parking garage. Once again, the police were prepared and arrested the activists before they could disrupt the protests. At the end of the week, the police were 2-1. It is questionable whether this is also a victory for democracy.