Climate activists sawed off the top of a giant Christmas tree at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday morning.

“We are only seeing the tip of the underlying disaster in Germany so far,” said Lilli Gomez, an activist from “Last Generation,” who conducted the protest.

“While all of Germany spends the week getting the best gifts from the biggest shops, others are wondering where they will get their water to drink after droughts and floods have destroyed their crops. Climate collapse in Germany is just around the corner and the federal government is making no effort to protect us,” she added.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that at around 9.20 a.m. two activists had driven with a lifting platform to the Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate and then hoisted themselves to the top of the 15-meter-tall festively decorated Nordmann fir where they got busy with a saw.

Despite a permanent police presence at the busy spot, according to reports officers only acted when the tree was already beheaded, with the activists unfurling a banner that read: “This is just the tip of the Christmas tree.”

A police spokesperson told BILD that “it was a matter of minutes” before action was taken.

Three people were briefly taken into custody and then released, a police spokesperson said.