The mood is tense. If RWE wants to enforce the planned clearing, they would have to destroy most tree houses. At the same time we are more than ever, louder than ever and more diverse than ever. This is our chance to prevent the clear-cutting, and thus set a clear sign against lignite mining and exploitation and for climate justice and non-hierarchical resistance. We have to be many for that!
To be informed in case of eviction register on our SMS alert list
and stay up to date by means of the blog. But what to do when the SMS arrives? This text helps to prepare you for eviction in the Hambach Forest, so that we can prevent it together!
For almost all options, it is helpful to have an affinity group. It would be ideal if you organize yourself in your city with people to support the forest occupation together. There are already many groups working on climate justice, such as the local groups of Ende Gelände.

Various police operations can occur in the Hambach Forest:

1. Evictions of barricades or temporary tree occupations

What you can do then above all is multiplying information. Especially temporary occupations with mobile platforms in the area being cleared are appropriate to pay attention to the deforestation and environmental destruction caused by lignite. Barricade evictions often led to police violence in the past, so we want to draw attention to them too. You can help by spreading our information and pictures as well as press articles (sharing on facebook, writing circulars, painting walls…). It can also help to call press representatives in order to request reporting on the Hambach Forest. In addition, all solidarity actions with effective publicity are valuable (demos, banners, rallies…).

2. Beginning of the deforesting

The last clearing season has shown that 2-3 weeks are enough to destroy about 70 hectares of forest. When you hear that the deforesting is starting and if you have the opportunity to come over for the next few weeks, then do so! You are needed here more than ever. Here on the spot we need people who occupy the clearing area as extensively as possible. For this it is helpful to be able to climb and perform temporary tree occupations. We will prepare temporary tree occupations with mobile platforms and provide you with any material and equipment you need. But incredibly important are also people who can help providing the tree houses, who can do press and public relations work and give emotional support. Here you can find a packing list. Especially on weekdays, police can be present in the forest. That’s why you can call us before to ask if it is possible to get into the forest without police checks. Every Sunday at 9:00 a.m starts an action and climbing introduction. Meeting point is the round house in the meadow.

If it is not possible for you to come for a week or more, there is still the opportunity to come by for one action. For example, with an affinity group – Ende Gelände style you could prepare a blockade on the access roads by which the deforesting or eviction vehicles get in.

If you do not have any time to come by, you still have supporting options. Here you find things that are urgently needed for the deforesting season. You also can pack a backpack for spontaneous occupations and send it to us. An example for a packing list is on the same page.
In addition, it is important to stay up to date during the cutting and to spread what is happening in the forest as widely as possible (see removal of barricades or clearing temporary occupations).
If the felling works begin before tree houses have been evicted, that means the eviction will come soon. So you should start with the preparation of evacuation prevention.

3. Eviction of tree houses

If possible, grab your prepacked rucksack and the rest of your affinity group and come into the wood! During evictions, the area is usually largely cordoned off. Therefore the first step to obstruct and prevent eviction is, to get through the police cordon. Then you could try to stop the eviction tanks, for example by sitting down in front of them, occupying them or by locking on to them with bicycle locks. If it is impossible to get inside of the police cordon, you can also block the access roads. For all these actions you can, for example, fall back on knowledge of past action training or organize a new one. In addition, people with cameras, banners and chants behind the cordon are important.
If the tree occupations are besieged a long time by police and mine security, it may also be necessary to get through cordons to provide the tree houses with water and food or to be able to exchange people on the tree.
But even if you can not get here, you can support the struggle for the Hambach Forest. Climbing anywhere in Germany can prevent or at least delay an eviction, as the number of climbing cops in Germany is limited! So if you paralyze any part of the urban infrastructure in your city with an abseiling action, they have to clear that before they can finish their job in the forest. In addition, RWE has got offices and infrastructure throughout Germany. The more actions against RWE and for a (climate) equitable world happen on the day of eviction, the better and bigger the media attention will be. Here you can find inspiration for action ideas.
Last but not least: multiply. Twitter, share, send mails, paint banners, organise pickets and vigils, discuss with friends and collegues…
Together we can stop the destruction!