350.org calls on SPD to choose people over profit, and finance a just transition through bold taxation.
Berlin, Germany. On the 5th of June, while billionaires and CEOs gather behind gilded doors in Berlin for the Familienunternehmer-Tage, joined by figures like Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Economics Minister Katherina Reiche, people across Germany are taking to the streets. Their demand: a tax on the super-rich — a vital step to confront the climate crisis and unlock tens of billions each year for climate action and public services.
Photos and video from the actions will be available here
Coordinated by 350.org, Extinction Rebellion, taxmenow, and WeiterSo!, the wave of actions in cities like Berlin, Hildesheim, and Nürnberg is sending a clear message to the SPD: honour your promise to tax extreme wealth and unlock a future powered by affordable, renewable energy for all.
Kate Cahoon, Germany Team Lead at 350.org said:
“The richest 1% are responsible for more carbon pollution than two-thirds of humanity and they continue to hoard obscene wealth while the planet burns. Meanwhile, communities are being left behind — struggling to heat their homes, access basic care, or survive floods and fires. Our elected politicians are allowing this, choosing to follow the billionaire lobby, meeting today.
The SPD must stand with ordinary people, not billionaires. A tax on the super rich could transform lives for the vast majority of people and help us avert climate collapse. When politicians fail to lead, the people will. We’re building pressure, and we won’t stop until billionaires pay.”
Tax Their Billions for Thriving Communities
A tax on extreme wealth isn’t just a moral necessity — it’s a practical solution. Governments claim they lack resources to fund reliable, affordable renewable energy, but in reality, they are choosing to protect extreme wealth. With bold political leadership, a wealth tax could:
- Insulate homes and install clean heating so everyone can afford warmth in winter and comfort in summer.
- Power millions of homes with affordable wind and solar energy while guaranteeing basic energy access for all.
- Retrain hundreds of thousands of fossil fuel workers for green jobs in regions like Lusatia.
- Modernise public transport, slash fares, and clean up city air with thousands of electric buses.
- Build social housing and fund vital care work — from nurses to childcare providers.
- Protect local communities from floods and wildfires, while fulfilling Germany’s climate finance commitments to the Global South.
‘Who pays’ to fix our crumbling schools and hospitals, and to tackle the climate crisis is a political choice, not an inevitability. But it requires courage to confront those hoarding wealth and blocking progress.
The Power of Protest
While the lobby of billionaires plot behind the gates of Schloss Charlottenubrg and Hotel Adlon in Berlin, the acts of resistance on the 5th of June send a clear message — people will no longer tolerate a system that protects extreme wealth at the expense of ordinary people, democracy, and the planet:
- In Hildesheim, activists will deliver “suitcases of money” to the local SPD office — symbolising how taxing billionaires could revive public services.
- In Berlin, outside the elite Familienunternehmer-Tage, with Chancellor Merz and Minister of Economics Reiche, at the Charlottenburg Orangerie, a satirical protest will unfold, complete with mock resignations from billionaire associations, classical music, and theatre.
- In Nürnberg, activists will engage shoppers on luxury streets with a polar bear mascot and performances, making the case for “de-billionairisation.”
These actions are part of a rising tide of protest that will culminate in a global mobilisation this September.
A Global Movement Gaining Momentum
This mobilisation is part of a growing global campaign to make the ultra-rich pay for climate damage they helped cause. In recent weeks protestors have targeted billionaires like Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault in Paris and London, as pressure on governments to tax extreme wealth builds.
More than 1.5 million people — from trade unionists to economists, youth strikers to faith groups — have joined the call for a tax on the super rich. Even many millionaires are demanding stronger taxes on the super rich to pay for climate action and public services.
At the upcoming International Conference on Finance for Development in Seville, Germany has a chance to lead on the global stage. At home, the SPD must deliver a tax on the super rich — to ensure the hoarded wealth of those like Suzanne Klatten, Stefan Quandt, and the Porsche family serve the public good, not private gain.
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Notes to Editors:
- Photos and videos of protest actions will be available here.
- 350.org’s Tax Their Billions Dossier presents billionaires like Susanne Klatten, Stefan Quandt, and the Porsche family, highlighting their role in blocking the benefits of climate action.
- For interviews or more information, contact: Tine Langkamp, Senior Organiser and Campaigner Germany, +49151-701 69509