Not surprising and yet deeply distressing? The district government of Arnsberg approves the main operating plan 2018-2020 and thus the further deforestation of the Hambach Forest from October 2018 on.

Here you can read the press release of the he district government in German: https://www.bezreg-arnsberg.nrw.de/presse/2018/03/063_18_03_29/index.php

What does this mean for us? It’s just another proof that jurisdiction has nothing to do with justice. That profit interests prevail over environmental and human rights. And that coal exit remains manual work.

The attempts to criminalise and isolate our protest are more obvious than ever: Never have so many active people been in prison for so little offence. At the same time, they try to describe things as if the violence came from our side, and we were to blame if the police felt compelled to evict the occupations and to destroy the forest because of danger ahead. It is more necessary than ever to counteract this. Let’s start preparing for the upcoming clearing season. It’s time to found local groups, to organise, or to take another semester off, to quit your job or drop out of school, and to plan a deforesting season in the Hambi.

Because for a climate of justice we have to fight ourselves.