News Ticker – September 1-13

September 13

19:05 8 people in Aachen in the Gesa (detention center). The eviction of Hamagier in the north almost completed. 3 trucks with lights en route in the forest. Police are trying to circle people at DeathPop. Educational announcements from the police receive a noisy response from the demo.
18:54 Apparently, the police and RWE are trying to put their machines in the forest in safety.
18:40 Vans in Lorien retire. The demonstration is prevented from advancing next to the Collas gravel pit by the police with the help of dogs and horses.
18:20 Also in other places, groups have managed to enter the forest because the police had to dissolve their lines.
18:18 A rather large group of activists emerge in the northern part of the forest (near North). RWE and police react with restless nervousness, machines are put in security.
17:55 The demonstration of more than 1000 people has arrived at the meadow and more and more people cross the police lines and run into the forest.
17:40 Expulsion of Hamagir (Norden).
17:20 The path to Oaktown has been widened to 5 meters between Goblin and Mona.
17:15 In the north, the eviction of the first tree house is being prepared.
17:14 Demo arrived at the vigil. About 1000 participants.
17:11 Another tripod was cleared. It is not clear which one, but probably “Norden”
16:53 “Wir sind hier, wir sind laut, weil man uns den Hambi klaut.” (We are here, we are loud, because they steal our Hambi) the protesters call and start marching from #Buir towards #HambacherForst.
16:42 In Oaktown, an aisle is being cut as an access road for the machines. One tree after another falls, the earth trembles. Tracked vehicle in the north. The seem to consider to cut there an aisle too. Deathtrap and Lollypop expelled, Deathtrap is being demolished.
15:56 Ordnungsamt (office for public order) just came by for a flying visit in Oaktown, but withdrew without further promulgation. The police stay. RWE marks trees to cut a road to Oaktown.
15:45 After more than an hour, the person from the treetop was brought away.
15:40 At the vigil, 10 police vans entered the forest.
15:38 Two people have been evicted from hammocks in the North.
14:52 A person locked themselves in the top of a tree. Cops are looking for ways to get them out. Lifting platform, a hundred of cops and a drone are apparently not enough.
14:30 Press conference begins.

Continue ReadingNews Ticker – September 1-13

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT – 15.09.18

EVICTION CONTINUES, TUNNEL REMAINS, SOLIDARITY IS ACTIVE

Today the eviction of the occupation in the 12,000 Hambach forest continued.
In the northernmost occupation, fittingly named “The North”, police brutally destroyed the homes of the climate-justice activists, which had locked themselves on in order to delay the demolition of the treehouse occupation.
As the day passed, the police ended up “successfully” evicting all of “The North”, including the treehouses Fabacea and Kontiki, and leaving the pieces of the treehouses spread all across the forest floor.

Meanwhile, the police kept working on destroying the Oaktown occupation, bringing down the treehouse Tanit, and beginning the eviction of the common-space of the occupation, the 3-floored Tower.
Besides these, the groundstructure Simona, on which the police have already worked for two days, was taken apart, despite the underground tunnelsystem, in which two people were still locked on.
The tunnel was one of the bigger stories of the day, as the police, despite trying very hard, were still not able to evict the activists from their 10 meter deep chamber.

Throughout the day, the police actively kept national as well as international press at a distance, in order to make it harder for the journalists to give a proper picture of the brutal destruction, and give the activists a voice. Despite this, journalists were able to spread information on the process of the largest police-action in the history of NRW.

Already early in the morning, news about an apparent solidarity action at the Niederaußem coal-power-plant reached us. Here activists erected a tripod, with the banner saying “Hambi bleibt!” (Hambi stays!), and locked on to a conveyor-belt transporting lignite, as well as occupying 3 diggers. This successfully led to the power-plant being brought down to around 20% of its normal capacity.
In and around the occupation, solidarity was also clear to be seen.

Here the action-group Aktion Unterholz arrived with several hundred motivated people, some breaking police-lines and entering the forest, shouting political slogans in support of the occupation, which could be heard by people in the trees, enduring the siege of the police. The action of Aktion Unterholz made a statement against the absurd police-presence, with reference to the city of Chemnitz, where police weeks ago weren’t able to handle extreme-right protesters hunting down immigrants. “Where were you in Chemnitz?!”

Following the example of the last days of eviction, the violent repression directed towards the climate-justice activists was strong.
During the action of Aktion Unterholz, police-officers brutally beat and arrested people, harassed journalists, and even used pepper-spray against demonstrators.
It is estimated that around 30 people were brought to the pre-charge detention centre in Aachen, were supporters outside were awaiting their release, with music, coffee and cake.
Most people brought into the pre-charge detention centre are released within 24 hours.
However, in connection to the eviction of a tripod in the occupied Hambach forest on September 13th, one person was brought into custody jail, for an undefined amount of time. Read more about Andrea (“UP3”) on the blog of ABC Rhineland (https://abcrhineland.blackblogs.org/).
Responsible for the continued violence against activists, journalists and nature, is interior-minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU). Despite the wide environmental movement, and the German plans for coal phase-out, Herbert Reul continues to protect the interests of RWE and the coal-lobby with the weapons of the state!

The struggle here continues, and is stronger every day. Although the situation here is tough, we are looking forward to experience individual and collective action of support and solidarity in NRW, Germany, Europe, and all over the world!
Hambi stays, today and forever!

Continue ReadingPRESS ANNOUNCEMENT – 15.09.18

Interim status of the forest clearing

September 15 – Here again the current state, which was last passed from the forest:

  • Today the tree houses „Fabacea“ and „Kontiki“ as well as the Skypod (platform hanging free in ropes) in the barrio „Norden“ were evacuated. So there is no longer this barrio, but quite a lot of new anger. One of the expelled residents lodged a lawsuit against the destruction of their living space with our solidary lawyer Christian Mertens; Mertens is ready to support even more residents and others with such a lawsuit. (Specification of personal details required.)
  • In addition, a drivable passage was cleared between the barrios „Beechtown“ and „Cozytown“ north of the meadow. There were only footpaths so far.
  • Today (September 15), the barricades were cleared between the gravel pit of Collas and the central crossroads in the forest called „Jesus Point“. Firstly, this means further access to the forest and, secondly, it is particularly threatening for the barrio „Kleingartenverein“ (allotment garden) near the gravel pit.
  • Yesterday, the half done treehouse ‘Amagir’ had been evicted and got destroied in the barrio „Norden“.
  • Since yesterday there is a driveable track from the main path to the Barrios “Oaktown” and “Gallien”. They end at the tree house “Mona” (Oakt.) Or between “Tower” and “Paradise” (Gallien). Every aisle they hit through the forest means tree felling. It is enough! Gallien reports 40 felled trees. To cover that up, stumps and roots were torn out and the holes were filled with sand. However, evidently there was no eviction in Gallien.
  • Yesterday in Oaktown the tree houses Pyra, Mona and Stube were evicted. From the cabin Simona the roof was removed, the rest of the hut seems to stand still. There are still two people in the tunnel under the hut. The rest of Oaktown stands (i.e., Floki, Tower, Mouse-House, Nest), the Skypod “Raste” and the low tree house “Hundehütte” (also called Anna Campbell) near “Simona”, there is currently no information.
Continue ReadingInterim status of the forest clearing

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT 13.09.18

EVICTION IN THE HAMBACH FOREST CONTINUES, POLICE AND RWE ENDANGERS LIVES OF ACTIVISTS

Today the police continued the largest police deployment in the history of the state of NRW, the evictions in the 12,000 year old Hambach forest.

Early in the morning police entered Oaktown and Gallien and began cutting several trees and evicting treehouses.

Throughout the day the police cut down around 40 trees in and around Gallien, pulled out the stumps and roots left behind, and filled the holes with sand, to make it unclear, how big the trees were.

In the treehouses Pyra and Mona, in the Oaktown occupation, activists locked themselves on to concrete blocks under the floors, to postpone the eviction as far as possible. The eviction of these treehouses, that were some of the oldest in the occupation, and for a long time been home to the activists, took several hours.

To reach the treehouses, the police felled several trees, and cut off large parts of the crowns, close to traverses, in which activists where hanging.

At this point activists made it official, that under the hut Simona, a tunnelsystem, in which several people were locked on, was to be found.

Even though many activists made it explicitly clear, that the use of heavy vehicles in the area, would put the lives of the people below in danger, police continued to drive around heavy eviction-equipment in the area.

Besides this, the police let the engines of the machines keep running, close to the ventilation of the tunnelsystem, furtherly endangering the activists.

Also in the so-called „North“, another treehouse-village, the police continued their activity, and attempted to evict an unsecured activist from a skypod.

Here they felled trees close to the ropes on which the skypod was hanging, another life-threatening situation.

The action of the police, which ironically is based on „a lack of safety in the treehouses“, is bringing activists in the Hambach forest occupation into increasingly dangerous situation, and continually threatening the lives of the people.

Responsible for the this insanity continuing, is the interior minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU), who supports energy-giant RWE with the weapons of the state, treads down the rights of human and nature, showing his priority of profit over the well-being of people.

Therefore, we are demanding, that the police immediately removes the state of „danger-zone“, that is threatening the lives of people, and has already killed animals and plants, and leaves the area!

Today many people also showed their solidarity with the occupation.

In Buir a demonstration of hundreds took place, and in other cities all over Germany and Europe, demonstrations and actions took place. For example the NRW county-department in Berlin was occupied by activists from EndeGelände. Activists also occupied a „Deutsche Bank“, and in Düren the Green Youth organized a solidarity-concert

The movement for the preservation of the Hambach Forest is growing ever wider, and we will keep occupying the forest, standing in opposition to RWE, and fighting for life! Hambi stays, today and forever!

Continue ReadingPRESS ANNOUNCEMENT 13.09.18