BRAND (FIRE) III – Resistance within riches

Premiere – Resistance in the Global North

In November 2012, an activist with an elaborate tunnel entrenchment in the Hambach Forest ended the silence surrounding the deforestation of this formerly gigantic forest area in the city triangle, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Aachen, which had been in operation since 1972. Far beyond the local borders, the clearing of the ancient Hambach forests by the energy company RWE became known. Today only 10% of this forest is left. Activists from various groups had set themselves the task of making the Rhenish lignite mining area a focal point for the fight against coal-fired power generation.

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SAT. 10:00 Garden Planting – Wild Food Walk – Lunch

This Saturday at 10:00 join us for breakfast in the Meadow Occupation following which we will plant this year’s vegetable and herb gardens. After 3-4 hours of which we will go for a Wild Forest Food walk and collect nettles (Brennesseln) for vegan burgers and forest “cooked spinach” with Bear Garlic collection for Pesto, we will also collect an assortment of other spring fresh forest plants for a wild salad. We will then chill out in the forest and have lunch. Here it has to be also pointed out that it is estimated that Earth, in its present state of ecological deterioration, could only sustain about 20 million people if wild foods were being widely harvested. So this mini wild-foods skill-sharing is just to show what forest have been able to offer us and what will disappear when they like Hambi (most of it this Oct-March) will be gone and destroyed. With many plants like Nettles, Bear Garlic, and Dandelion being the first pioneering plants in the previously disturbed and cut by RWE areas.

Every year for last six years there have been planted extensive, vegetable and herb gardens in the meadow. This year do to high intensity and frequency of large police actions and detentions we have fallen a bit behind. Many of us have also been spending more time deeper in the forest resisting RWE’s attempt to destroy it. So any support planting this year would be a great exercise of community coming together, a celebration of spring.

Every planting and every garden in the Hambach Forest Occupation has showed that the RWE clear-cutting and Climate killing CO2 dumping coming from its open cast pits has not just been resisted, with blockades, barricades, locking on and sabotage but also with gardens, kitchens, music, sense of community and art all of which combined were and are so powerful and dangerous that thousands of police with helicopters, tanks, horses, dogs, cranes and bulldozers had to be send on many different occassions to try to destroy it also attempting to convince the population that we and not RWE continuing dumping of 150 millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere is the real risk and real danger to the local community, region and the Planet. Hmmm you could have build a heck of mega large scale gardens for the budget of 100s of millions used against hambi. But such a mega project with the coruption and mutual back scratching involved in government projects would probably be very limited, boring hirarhical with most funds sub-divided internally in between industry and government officials with another large portion left to pay off the press such as Build to write what great job they did and how glad everybody is that they have done it(if they did which of course they have not).

So once again for creative, simple, muscle and veggie powered horizontalist resistance action join us this Saturday 10:00 in the Meadow!

Bring Seeds!

For Hambi and for the Planet!

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RWE’s Planet Destroying “Profit” and “Coal Exit” Scam continues….


Last week the annual RWE share-holders meeting took place with numerous protest actions taking place inside of the event, outside of the convention center and through out Essen. Numerous activists groups converged from around Germany, Europe and far away places such as Columbia and Siberia where RWE Blood Coal is being extracted with thousands dying(over 5000 killed in Columbia by Paramilitaries openly paid by RWE’s contractors Prodeco and Anadarco)
Several people were detained from a street action group staging a performance in front of the convention center and released. Numerous activist also delivered and displayed large Red Cards for RWE inside of the meeting. There was also a RWE critical discussion in front of Essen City Hall.

Continue ReadingRWE’s Planet Destroying “Profit” and “Coal Exit” Scam continues….

Sun. 29.4 Bike actions from Cologne and Achen: 40-year Anniversary of Ati-Coal Struggle

Reposted from www.fuerhambi.org

On Sunday, the 29th of April, we will head back to the Hambacher Wald – by bike demo from Cologne and Aachen as well as on foot from the train station Buir: We will be at the edge of the open pit between the trees of the Hambacher forest and the coal excavators of RWE gathering together, forming a bikeline and unfolding a 100 m rainbow banner: our protest is colorful, peaceful and diverse – full of hope and determination([Hambi Blog]: we include this statement without distancing ourselves from Earth-defenders world-wide who have chosen militant tactics, especially such as Zadists, Zapatistas and other indigenous groups fighting as well for their lives, communities and the Planet). For 40 years there has been persistent resistance on the ground: from the citizens’ initiatives to the forest occupation that has been going on for six years #HambiBleibt. Together and in solidarity, we will continue to fight, save this forest and thus usher in the end of fossil energies!

The Hambacher Wald must no longer be cleared for the burning of lignite. Its centuries-old pedunculate oaks and hornbeams are the home of many endangered plant and animal species, eg. B. the strictly protected Bechstein bat. The forest belongs in public hands, under nature conservation and under the control of a democratic forest council elected by citizens.

The Rhenish lignite mining area is Europe’s largest CO2 sling and thus one of the central locations where the climate crisis is made. We live in a world that has already become warmer. This global warming is already having devastating consequences for the people of the global South. At the beginning of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn in May 2018, we are therefore calling for an exit from coal power with all clarity. We stand for consistent climate protection and internationally lived climate justice. As a population, we assume responsibility where the federal government fails.

And our dispute for climate protection does not end with lignite. Also in the transport sector, we have to get out of the health and climate damaging combustion of diesel and gasoline: We demand a change in mobility! The future of cities belongs to walking, bicycles and high-performance public transport. In doing so, we protect people’s health, create a more socially just city and make an important contribution to global climate protection. Therefore, on April 29, a bike demo will make its way to the Hambach Forest.
Bicycle Demo – Meeting Point and Route:
April 29, 2018, 09:30 clock, Cologne, Roncalliplatz
Rainbow Banner Action on Hambi – Meeting Point:
April 29, 2018, 13:00 clock, Morschenich, open pit edge

 

Continue ReadingSun. 29.4 Bike actions from Cologne and Achen: 40-year Anniversary of Ati-Coal Struggle