Yesterday activists from the evicted forest occupation gathered for the 4th time in front of the police station to reclaim their stuff which was left in the forest during the eviction.

A little list of the stuff:

• a tippi
• all the tents, sleeping bags,…
• all stuff of the kitchen ( for about 80 people)
• all the workshop materials, with good tools – some of them were only rented
• privat stuff – warm clothes and even the wallet of some people
• an expensive chain block

They destroyed all of this because in their view it was “rubbish”. While the police is saying that they have to save the private property of RWE (the energy company that owns the forest), they give a damn about other property like ours. We need this stuff for the cold winter time and sure they knew this. This is another example for the obiediance of the police to RWE. They ensure the profits of a greedy few against the needs of most of the people which is land, warm clothes, sleeping-bags in winter and a planet to live on. RWE is destroying all of this.

But we are lucky to have so much support from the locals who are affected from the open cast mines. They aready donated a lot of warm clothes, blankets, tents, building material and also helped to build huts that we can remain in winter on our new occupation.
Another great achievement ist that also local people are changing their minds about the police and buisness owned media which were telling lies during the eviction.

There will be cofee and cake, like every sunday at 2:00 pm. And “Klaus der Geiger” a well known artist in this region will give a concert.
Since we are at the new occupation, there are a lot of people from nearby visiting us.
For the next sunday also the lokal resitors group “Buirer für Buir” is inviting to come to the new occupation.

THE LOOSE ANTI OPENCAST NETWORK

IF THE GOVERNMENT GETS ITS WAY, ARE WE LIKELY TO SEE MORE ‘MOTHBALLED’ OPENCAST SITES POCK-MARKING OUR COUNTRYSIDE?

LAON PR 2012- 16 1/12/12

The hidden topic so far, in all the discussion about the Energy Bill is what will be its impact on the UK Coal Industry. This is a much shrunken industry, producing around 18m tonnes of coal a year. Last year 59% of that coal was produced by opencast methods. This year, as the deep mining sector continues to suffer from problems and cost pressures are closing mines (on a temporary basis) at Maltby and Aperpergwm and Daw Mill, our largest pit is almost certain to close, domestic coal production is becoming ever more reliant on surface mining – in the July to September quarter, of the 4m tonnes of coal the UK produced, 65% now came from surface mines.