Solidarity to the lock on activist in Winona / Texas

Solidarity Regards from the Hambach Forest Occupation (Germany)

Love and greetings to Glenn Collins, Matt Almonte and everyone supporting them and other tar sands blockade actions! Direct action is necessary to prevent companies like TransCanada and RWE from devastating the planet. It feels great to see that across the Atlantic others are taking the same means to fight in the same issues as we do. Global warming, environmental damage and the industries causing them are international – and so is the resistance of energy struggles!

Our fight here in the Rhineland is against RWE, one of the four electricity monopolists in Germany and major energy supplier Europe-wide, and against the massive destruction they are dealing out for lignite extraction and combustion: In the Rhenish Brown-Coal Mining District (the dirtiest carbon dioxide emitting structure of Europe), more than half of the energy produced in five power plants is fed back directly for the operation of the three giant open cast mines – again, the largest of Europe. For their permanent extension, RWE regularly resettle villages, dump some of the most fertile farmland of Germany via conveyor belts, and now restarted clearing the Hambach Forest, one of the last primeval forests left in densely settled Mid-Europe.
But before that, they had to evict us – on November 19th, after four days of eviction, police wrenched the last activist out of a tunnel – a form of action newly introduced in Germany; we greatly recommend it! Guess the several concrete Lock-Ons in the treetops also annoyed them a lot… Seems like the police in Texas are as reckless as those in Germany – here as there they repeatedly endangered and threatened the lives of the ones locked on. Here as there they sent activists off properties, where they were tolerated by the owners. Here they even arrested the owner, before he was able to clarify that he possesses the field from which they were trying to evict the re-occupation! But repression backfired: The re-occupation is thriving with even more amazing local support than the first one.
Congratulations to your great invention of pipeline concrete lock-on blockades. This must really annoy them! And you know as we do, whatever they threaten you with – they can’t risk to injure you! Stand strong, we are hoping for you. And we are curious how they will try to fix this.

Energy struggles must be one united fight on a global scale. Whether against tar sands, brown coal or nuclear power – the fossil energy sources and the power and economic systems they stand for need to be fought back in order to save this planet! The land grabbing and devastation they recklessly burden the people with cannot be tolerated! And the more repressive they fight back, the more we will become. The time to rescue this planet is running out, but in Texas, the Rhineland, in Colombia, Scotland and so many other places in the World, we are taking action to conserve our livelihood. The system is global – and so are we!

Together we stand!
Best wishes and good luck to Glenn and Matt

The campaign: Tar Sands Blockade
More: Background on tar sands

In Winona, Texas, two acitivists have locked themselves to concrete barrels they carried into the end of an oil pipeline under construction.
The action was part of a massive protest movement in the USA confronting TransCanada, the company extracting oil from tar sands in Canada and building a pipeline for transporting it througout the US. Tar sand oil is even more toxic than regular crude oil, and at the place of the action, the pipeline would be less than a hundred feet from residetial houses. For the extraction of tar sands in Canada, primeval forests the size of the UK are devastated into a toxic desert. The process taking the oil out of the sand doesn’t even make any sense – more electric energy needs to be spent than the oil brings back. The economic reason for that is the lack of crude oil for the large indutries depending on it. And again, the resource addiction of the economic system is valued higher than anything alive.
Both activists were wrenched out of the lock-ons violently risking serious injuries. Police pulled so hard, the the chain on the wrist of of them broke. Glen Collins and Matt Almonte, who were locked in, and Isabel Indigo Brooks who supported them inside the pipe, are now in custody (according to the latest info). They are all being charged with three misdemeanors: resisting arrest, criminal trespassing and illegal dumping.

Continue ReadingSolidarity to the lock on activist in Winona / Texas

New Squat

During the last week happend a lot.
On the 13th of November the police started to evict the camp area near the hole.
It took till saturday17th early morning to get out the last persons.
There was some attention lokaly and in the whole press and TV in this language zone.
On a press conference we gave on the 19th of November we anounced the we have since quiete a while another area.
South of the forest.So we wasnt rally completly evicted and resquattet inside a week:)
On Wednsday 21th of November police came to evict this new area, but didnt had any paper work,
it happend that the owner of the area came to see his land , during this police action.
He was taken in custedy by police, what wasnt such a good press for them 🙂
It seems he got angry on the police and RWE by this and doesnt want to evict us from his ground.

This days its windy and security cars are going in the neigbourhood,
there are even more people supporting,
its quiete much more known,
be welcome.

Squat more. Resist here and everywhere.

Any time they hit us we come back much stronger 🙂

Continue ReadingNew Squat

Anti-eviction guide

Before the eviction

  • The clearing of the Hambacher Forest hast already started. The forest is eviction threat. If you have time, it makes sense to come to the forest and support the activists locally in the protection of the forest
  • Think about whether you and your group can spend a couple of days in the forest to support the Hambach180 campaign. If you know when you come write an email to hambacherforst@nullriseup.net You find the the flyer of the campaign here
  • Use the Ushahidi-Apps (Android/iPhone) for our Stop-RWE-Crowdmap, to keep you up to date and report of solidarity actions or the eviction of the spot!
  • Send your mobile phone number to hambacherforst@nullriseup.net to get on the sms eviction list. In case of exiction you will be informed directly.
  • Prepare beforehand when and where you want to do solidary actions. Seek out places of RWE in you region, as on this map, which is still upgraded piece by piece. Make a research by yourself!
  • Draw a banner beforehand. Here are some items you can use on the banner: Hambacher Forst bleibt
    There is a design for flyers you can spread on a spontaneous demonstration: Demo-Infoflyer_Rückseite

  • Maybe you make it to organize an information session in the short term. There is an ODP presentation Hambacher Forst bleibt.odp or as PDF: Hambacher Forst bleibt.pdf Here are some videos
  • At the end of the week there is most likely printed stickers and posters. There is a b/w master copy: Hambacher Forst bleibt
  • Distribute stickers and posters in your city!

Solidarity actions

Following is a list of planned solidarity actions on Day X:

  • Berlin:

    14 clock, rally in front of the International Trade Centre Berlin (S+U Friedrichstraße)
    19 clock, spontaneous demonstration, meeting place in front of the church at Lausitzer Platz (U
    Görlitzer Bahnhof)

  • Hamburg:

    17 clock, spontaneous demonstration in front of Café Knallhart on University Campus (Van Melle Park 9)

  • Cologne:

    14 clock, central of RWE Power AG, Stüttgenweg 2, 50935 Cologne

  • Essen:

    18 clock, Front-exit Central station Essen

    • more to follow! Organize yourselves and inform us about it: info@nullausgeco2hlt.de

During the eviction

  • Think about whether you can come as fast as possible in the forest. Find out about the current situation: http://hambacherforst.blogsport.de, https://stopprwe.crowdmap.com or phone: 01577-5440595
  • If you can’t come into the forest or the distance is too large decentralizes solidarity actions are important. Now it’s time for your prepared actions. Take pictures and write articles on http://de.indymedia.org, http://linksunten.indymedia.org and https://stopprwe.crowdmap.com , and send them to ausgeco2hlt-press coordination: presse@nullausgeco2hlt.de
  • If you use Twitter to report use the hashtag #hfb
  • If you have relevant information on the eviction during the eviction, such as Police closures, spontaneous demonstrations etc, post them on https://stopptrwe.crowdmap.com
  • After a solidarity action try as fast as possible to come in the forest or get informed what makes sense

    • In general

    • In case you still get your power from RWE or its subsidiaries: power switch see i.e. http://www.atomausstieg-selber-machen.de/
    • Organize local events.
    • Establish a local group which work on the topic coal, a decentralized, ecological and social energy transition or climate justice
    • Come to our meetings, see http://ausgeco2hlt.de
    • Visit the Hambacher Forst, i.e. with your political group
    • Organize solidarity parties to raise money for anti-repression costs. ausgeco2hlt will soon likely establish a flow-border legal support fund for climate justice activists.
    • Donate to the forest, the WAA or ausgeCO2hlt, or ask wealthy people you know.
    • Talk about the campaign, the forrest, the movement etc. in your social media channels and with your friends
    • Distribute posters, stickers and more in your city. There are master copies: Hambacher Forst bleibt
      Link http://hambacherforst.blogsport.de and http://ausgeco2hlt.de
    Continue ReadingAnti-eviction guide

    Street music with ‚Klaus der Geiger‘ at the train station in Buir on tuesday (23.10.)

    This tuesday we will stir up Buir! At 4 pm Klaus der Geiger (violin songwriter from Cologne) will be playing street music at the station in Buir. He wrote a song about the coal mining by RWE. Let’s have a party over there and show our solidarity against RWE! There will be delicious vegan food for everybody! Hambach Forest stays! The diggers have to leave!

    Continue ReadingStreet music with ‚Klaus der Geiger‘ at the train station in Buir on tuesday (23.10.)