[Hambach Forest] Treehouses being evicted, Trees cut, Today marks day X
Wanneer: 06/09/2018 - 12:47
The polices forces of NRW have currently begun the eviction of treehouses in the Hambach Forest occupation. They will now be violently removing activists and destroying the infrastructure of the occupation, in order to prepare for RWEs continued clearing of the 12.000 year old Hambach Forest.
In this way Herbert Reul (CDU), interior minister of the state of Northrhine-Westphalia, is actively attacking climate justice and democratic civil rights, in support of fossil-fuel giant RWE and the coal-lobby, clearly showing the corruption inherent in the capitalist system.
With the eviction of the first tree houses, the Hambach Forest occupation, alongside several action-alliances (including Ende Gelände, Aktion Unterholz, and Buirer Für Buir) are calling out: Day Xis here, and a new phase of the struggle has begun. In the next days, while RWE employees, with support from the hired soldiers of the German state, attempt to evict the occupation, hundreds of people will join the forest struggle, in order to protect the climate justice protest-camp, and there are many ways to take part. See the text “How do I become active?” for more information.
Leila, an activist from the occupied forest, says: “This is the time for action. RWE wants the protest silenced, the activists imprisoned, the forest cut, and the German state is spending millions of euros in order to support this wish. This capitalist corruption is NOT to be accepted, and we will continue struggling until the last tree is cut, and beyond!”.
https://hambachforest.org/blog/2018/09/06/press-announcement-06-09-18/
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Day X is here! How do I get active?
Edit: Now the police are out of the forest again, it is not yet clear when how much will be cleared and cleared. Nevertheless, the barricades and ground structures are gone and we don't know when the police and RWE will come back to the forest to clear. The clearing work, however, has been postponed to the 14.10.. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE WON'T BE ANY CLEARING ANYWAY! So everybody come and bring building material, a durable evacuation meal and a radical good mood with you.
Day X has come! The ground structures of the forest occupation have already been evicted, the first tree houses are being evicted and the FIRST TREE HAS FALLEN. Eviction always also means clearing, that means, at the latest now we must become active and try to prevent and disturb clearing and clearing on different ways.
Come into the forest, whether alone or with your affinity group, make solidarity actions (climbing actions, painting banners, posters, sabotage, demos, lectures...no matter what, everything works!) and spread the word about the destruction of the Hambach Forest - a 12,000-year-old forest and place of resistance against lignite and the capitalist system, which is a thorn in the mercenary eye of the German constitutional state.
How do I get into the forest?
The large number of police currently on duty does not make it easy for people to get into the forest. However, this is still possible via detours and under the protection of the night.
There is also the actor 'Aktion Unterholz', who plans to go into the forest every day from day X+1 (i.e. the first day after day X was proclaimed) with a large mass of people and try to block the clearing and clearing machines. Here one can take part and also spontaneously still step into the resistance. There will also be other, overarching actions. More information here and under: Aktion Unterholz
Solidarity actions
Write to us if you're planning soli actions, or send us your soli photos so that we can post events and photos on the blog. Also like to use the Hashtags #hambibleibt #hambacherforst if you post photos or tweets on Twitter.
What do I need?
Here is a current packing list:
-Medications you need
-Sleeping bag
-Tent
-Sleeping mat
-Camouflage clothing (trousers, jacket, headgear)
-Solid shoes
-Head lamp or flashlight
-Climbing harness, if you have one, otherwise there are also a few on site
-Lighter
-toothbrush
-Knife working gloves
-If available: Camera to document events such as police violence.
-Water, vegan food (normally also available in the forest, but not always safe given the current situation)
-A beautiful book
-Safe action mobile phone
-Musical instrument, beautiful things that you don't want to miss and have to miss
What is currently happening in the forest cannot be tolerated without resistance. If the occupation is no longer there, then RWE has the gates open to destroy and exterminate this unique forest and the beings living in it in the name of greed for profit, to dig up and sacrifice it to lignite.
This forest has now become the focal point of an entire movement, and the occupation and all the actors* associated with it have triggered a public debate at various political and social levels. Let us fight together, show our indignation, show solidarity, form gangs, and not leave our wild, wooded and wonderful world to the capitalist rulers without a fight!
https://hambacherforst.org/
https://twitter.com/HambiBleibt
Evictions going on, Day X was proclaimed
The state police of NRW are continuing the destructive preparation(destroying of soil structures and barricades) of the forest for the upcoming evictions. The police stormed the forest at 8 am in order to cut walking ropes and bridges between trees and to isolate tree houses this way. In the subsequent attempt to destroy the stilt construction “Simona”, a hazel tree was felled by RWE workers in the middle of “Oaktown”.
In reaction to the felling of the first tree, the Action Alliance proclaimed “Day X”, the crossing of the so-called “red line”. Shortly after the proclamation of Day X, which was spread all over Germany and even the world, police left the forest. Although the soil structures all were destroyed, the activists now had the opportunity to move freely again and rebuild structures.
The proclamation of Day X marked the beginning of a new phase in the struggle for the 12,000 year old Hambach Forest. Hundreds of activists will join this struggle tomorrow, not least through the support of “Aktion Unterholz”, which promised to launch a weekend of resistance to support the Hambach Forest in the form of mass actions of civil disobedience. They will break police lines and block RWE and police equipment.
Despite the high likelihood that the police will be present again tomorrow, there is a chance they will restrain themselves. In this case Aktion Unterholz will support the fight in other forms, by helping to rebuild barricades and soil structures.
At 3:00 pm, the various participating organizations of the Action Alliance held a press conference to communicate the situation to regional, national, as well as international media. They criticize the violent action of the police forces, as well as the protection of the interests of the coal and capital giant RWE. They condemn the Interior Minister of NRW, Herbert Reul (CDU) for ordering these actions.
Furthermore Ende Gelände presented their new action plan for late October, which includes lock-ons this year, reflecting their response to the increasingly extreme situation in the struggle for the Hambach Forest.
While the 6 activists who were arrested on September 5 are back in freedom, the first trial day for the case “Kim Neuland” started in the Düren district court. The case concerns the arrest and 17-day detention of activist Maya (known as “Kim Neuland”) on 17 December 2016, in connection with the resistance against the cutting of the Hambach Forest. The trial will continue on September 14th.
The repression against the climate-justice activists is going on, who are fighting for the preservation of the forest, and against the capitalist extraction of dirty lignite. But as long as the felling of the forest is not stopped forever and the fossil-fueled capitalist exploitation of the planet continues, the resistance will continues as well!
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