A public discussion with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a Catholic gathering in the city of Erfurt was disrupted by protesters from the radical climate activist group Last Generation on Friday.
Last Generation activists heckled Scholz with slogans like "Democracy needs honesty" and "Don't you care about my future?" for about 10 minutes at the start of his talk before a crowd of about 800 people.
Scholz attempted to remain stoic. "You need to shut up for a moment," he said on stage. "Then I'll answer the question."
After the protesters were removed, Scholz addressed audience questions about a range of the most pressing issues on the minds of German voters.
Among the topics he address was debate over a possible ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, the fight against climate change and Germany's support for Ukraine in its fight against the ongoing Russian invasion.
He answered in detail, outlining the big picture. He argued that supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression is a matter of prudence and that the entire world must work together on climate change.
He also rejected the idea of banning the AfD, at least for now, arguing that a party that has attracted so much support must be countered on the merits of its policies in public debate.
"We must defend the public space, that everyone can express their opinion anywhere in Germany," Scholz said.
