BERLIN — Thousands of Germans linked hands for climate protection on Saturday and then, in a display of civic commitment that stunned organizers, simply refused to let go, creating a human chain that now runs continuously from the Baltic coast to the Bavarian Alps and has been declared a permanent piece of national infrastructure.
The chain, which began as a demonstration for a political and social restart, was extended by a decree of the Interior Ministry after officials calculated that the original line left gaps large enough for «undemocratic weather patterns» to pass through. Municipalities along the route were given six hours to relocate into the spaces between clasped hands. The town of Bad Hersfeld now occupies a stretch of linked forearms near kilometer marker 412, where residents have been issued with folding stools and a timetable for rotating their grip.
«We have achieved a complete physical separation between the German people and any further climate change,» said a spokesman for the Federal Environment Agency, speaking from a folding chair inside the chain. «The remaining problem is that no one can reach the bakery.»
By Tuesday, the chain had acquired its own postal code, a volunteer fire brigade that travels by hand-cart along the line, and a school class in Hesse that has not been outdoors since Saturday. The federal government has asked citizens to remain linked until further notice and to use the official hand sanitizer, which is being passed from person to person.