Solidarity Rap for This Black Friday

Rhymes for action on the frontlines of globla resistance.  Sung for Hambacher Forest Peeps as the mainstream WDR media told us to get out of the way as we filmed this and then removed us from most of their shots.  No compromise in getting our message out, alowing it to be diluted, reframed or apropriated.  Our solidarity goes to comrades in Zad the Notre Dam who never welcomed media with open arms for this reason.  This is also a reminder to chanell the intensity of this message into an independent media and prepare our cameras and smart phones as weapons in the battle for the future of this planet as a livable location for multitude of species, organism and communities.  We can only rely on the mainstream profit-based media to ignore not just our presence but also the repression and violence that we are about to face.

“Don’t Hate the Media – Be the AutonoMedia!” Calling on videographers, photographers and artists to come to the forest and document a reality on a brink of extinction and to come when the attack and state violence beggin and document it.

All used digital cameras, phone, smartphones, and keyboarded and keyboardless data entry devices for press work and documentation work would be more than apreciated by all the barrios through out the forest.

Continue ReadingSolidarity Rap for This Black Friday

Spontaneus Demonstration Following Cologne Courts Pro-RWE Decission

The ongoing court case to stop RWE from cutting one of the last remntants of ancient Hambach Forest took place today in Cologne.  The decission was postponed from Monday to Friday to possibly reduce number of supporters showing up in court, resulting in the same number of about 40+ attending  the trial.  The expected biased pro-coal verdict was read out rather quickly empting a court of sad, some crying and many expecting that precise outcome and getting ready for another winter of repression and resistance. The BUND fur Natur which originated the case against the RWE was hit with the costs of the trial while in the hallway the company bigwigs basked in the lights of TV crews as their power plants pumped more mercury, CO2 and particulates into the atmosphere, poisoning, emptying and destroying communities and habitats.  In response to this not just injustice but a mockery of justice and pure capitalist spectacle a demonstration with many banners, signs and a mobile treehouse info-point has formed and walked to the Cologne Cathedral and Train Station, with chants calling for Climate Justice, Saving and Remaining of Hambacher Forest and Stopping of Coal.  When arriving at the traditional location for manifestation and actions on the steps in between the “Dome” and the trainstation, speaches of solidarity with the forest were made by supporters and call for resistance voiced by Hambi Folks.

After 5 years of occupation this is a difficult and at the same time mobilizing call for the Hambacher Forest Struggle.  Difficult as we are about to face another winter of deforestation, and the biggest lignate clima-killer hole in Europe getting yet larger at the expense of this priceless forest and now also being a home to over twenty treehouses and 5 Barrio occupations.  This is also a mobilizing moment as never before have there been so much attention at the climate struggle in the Rhineland coal mining region with many years of persistent resistance, with Climate Camp, Ende Galaende and decentralized actions against this planetary monstrosity of injustice and polution that RWE working in tandem with local state instutions symbolizes.  Mobilizing even more so now because of recent state imposed false and destructive solutions offered at COP23.  As the realization daunts that we are the last line of defense against a future of climate, food and ecological collapse, self-organized support groups have been forming in Bonn, Cologne and Achen. Preparing demonstrations, actions, info-points and support and resupply visits to The Forest.

Also even though the number of people in the Forest have swelled recently a constant call goes out for people to organize in affinity groups in your locations and  support by journeying to the Forest or through remote solidarity actions.  If your are in one of the surrounding towns and would like to be part of the solidarity group just send an email containing in the subject line town name and what type suport function would be possible for you to HambacherForst@nullRiseup.net

In Solidarity with all Anti-Post-Colonialist, Anti-Extractionist and Anti-Authoritarian Struggles World-Wide.

Hambi Bleibt!!

Continue ReadingSpontaneus Demonstration Following Cologne Courts Pro-RWE Decission

Things that happened before…

During the last weeks, the topic lignite-based power generation and climate change has been a national and international issue. Here in the forest grew the popularity and support for the forest occupation. More and more people are choosing to become more active and move in here. External support is also steadily increasing. People bring food, materials and water, enabling the growing number of activists to be here permanently.
The RWE-group, which emits 223836 tons of CO₂ every day, is severely disturbed by the actions of (small) groups in its work.
Various (blockade) actions resulted in empirical values about their effectiveness.

1. Water Pumps
RWE operates over 2,000 pumps in the Rhenish mining district to reduce the groundwater level. It is known that from the side of the Hambach Forest, RWE has got problems with water ingresses in the open pit. This stems in part from the fact that in the forest itself no pumping stations could be built (is possibly changing at the moment). They characterize the landscapes around the open pit, on fields, in forests, along the roadsides. They are usually recognizable by pipes and power distribution boxes.

2. Access Roads
In order to clear the forest, clearing machines enter the forest by certain access roads during the deforesting weeks. In the last couple of years, they had to be rerouted often, because at the same time people had breakfast on the roads, which was even approved by the police.

3. Mine – Excavators and Conveyor Belts
During the last years several excavators were occupied. In some cases hat took several days, because the police did not have enough climbing units available. It has been shown that a permanent blockade of the open pit is necessary to stop the coal supply to the power plants.

4. Lignite bunker in the mine
From there, the power plants are supplied with coal. The extracted coal from the opencast mine is initially stored in the bunker and then delivered to the power plants via the Hambach Railway. Without the supply by the coal bunker in the open pit, a performance reduction can be achieved within a few hours!

5. Hambach Railway
The Hambach Railway is the largest private railway in Germany. If the coal can be loaded from the coal bunker, this so called Hambachbahn runs every 10 minutes 24/7, 365 days a year to the power plants.
The Hambach Railway is powered from two points, both of which are near the coal bunkers.
The power plants Niederaußen and Frimmersdorf are supplied with coal from two sides (Hambach and Garzweiler)!

During the last years there have been different types of actions.
Overview:

  • Tripod on the tracks
  • Lock-Ons
  • Sit ins
  • Hambach Railway Party
  • and more…

By means of a 24-hour blockade in phases, a throttling of the power plant was achieved, which was even reflected in the balance sheet of the Group.

6. Lignite bunker in the power plant
As was shown some days ago, such a blockade is very effective (Weisweiler – throttling around 92 percent!)

7. Power supply
The RWE structures mentioned in points 1-6 are all powered by electricity.

8. Access roads that are relevant in case of evictions
The Hambach Railway was moved to the south to make room for the opencast mine. Since then, the number of access roads to the forest has decreased. With vehicles in large numbers it is easily accessible only a few points.
Note: The other mines and power plants in the entire Rhenish lignite mining area work in a very similar way …
Note 2: Not listed separately is the RWE headquarters in Essen and all other office buildings all over Germany, which ensure the constant profit maximization of the group …

Continue ReadingThings that happened before…

Pre-alarm: RWE prepares for action

From some observations in the last 24 hours, we conclude that RWE is preparing for a major police operation. Opinions differ as to whether they plan to create facts before the verdict is pronounced, but it is certain that they want to be ready to start swiftly after the verdict is pronounced. We expect Monday, but Saturday would be possible too. In the past every day including Sunday was cleared, so a start on Saturday would be imaginable.

Get ready to join us. As soon as we know more, we’ll let you know.
And come on Friday at 10 clock to the Verwaltungsgericht (Administrative Court) in Cologne (Appellhofplatz) to accompany the verdict!
Open Street Map

Continue ReadingPre-alarm: RWE prepares for action