In the last years Hambach Forest has become an international symbol of climate justice! So has every single occupation that stood firm against RWE Climate Killer coal for last several years, and continues in our hearts and our stories long after it is physically gone.

One occupation, Lorien, remains and has done so for the last 2 weeks of intense blockades involving tripods all around this tree-sit barrio reinforced by sit-down blockaders, locking together with soft lock-ons and as the police approached, to face off the activists and surround them, by responding with singing and chanting.  With “Solid as a Rock, Rooted as a Tree.” “Power to The People, People got the Power” just some among many beautifully sung often drowning out the official announcements, noise of heavy equipment and often chainsaws.

For over 2 weeks this was the way Punk Pod leading to Lorien blocked access to the forest with 3 tripods, walkways and a tree house. Once evicted it would be immediately reoccupied by people rushing through the lines of riot cops to climb back on top. And once removed, it was put up again the same evening. That is why police is currently lighting up the road to Lorien and standing there throughout the night in riot gear, to make sure that this does not happen again, or at least not in that same place.

Today (26 of Sept) the police approached Lorien again from another direction, to build a road and a parking-lot in front of the Lonely Oak (Taka Tuka), as people blocked the direct access with additional walkways, a tripod at the entrance to the occupation and a sit-down blockade under both. All the while people above sung and chanted, and those in hammocks above read and relaxed after the previous day, where descending into their positions the climbing activists managed to block and turn back a harvester that was in the process of demolishing the last 3 barricades leading into Lorien.

As the riot cops got closer today, people build an inner wall barricade all around the occupation, dug holes through out the forest, made food, sung and played, as those in Taka Tuka( the treehouse on the Lonely Oak) watched a parking lot forming below them. As today is another day when this last large remaining occupation faces more destruction, let us not forget that the barricades, the tree-houses and each single occupation not only fulfilled its function in blocking RWE coal, but also offered a home and community to many people, who took and spread around the world the concept of using climbing gear, saws and hammers to build outposts of communities of resistance, and strategically place them in the way of those who kill, destroy and profit the most. Like barricades, even as they are being attacked and knocked down, they become celebrations of that same community coming together and becoming even stronger.

The monotony of encroaching waves of repression being punctuated by those who climb onto machinery after breaking through the police lines, and as they are being dragged or carried away. have the appreciation expressed by erupting applause from the more than hundred who remain.

From the frontlines: Big and warm “Thank You!” to so many who came out and continued to support the struggle and to many others organizing distributed actions through out the world.

We would like to share your images and post and archive them online.

However due to really high level of Hambi Traffic on social media it is difficult to keep track of all the content especially from the front line. That why we would like to ask you to use the hashtag #HambiSoliFoto. With that hopefully being a beginning and continuation of focus and actions directed at Climate Justice and deforestation issues in your region.

For Hambi!

For The Climate!!

For the Planet!!