Fire at a signal box of the coal railroad

This letter was published a few days ago at indymedia. By publishing it here too, we want to spread this information a bit wider.
(Interesting background information on how the coal railway system works:
http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/join-in/actions/the-coal-railroads/)

On the evening of September 10th, we have started a fire under one of two free-standing large transformers at the interlocking Neurath, located between Neurath and the hamlet Vanikum. For this we used several dozen liters of gasoline. This interlocking is unoccupied, thus there was no threat for humans.
The signal box is indispensable for the operation of the North-South coal track, which connects the open pit Garzweiler with the power plant Niederaußem, the Hambach railway and with the engraving tracks that supply the power plant Neurath with coal. At the signal box the switches and signals are changed and power is fed into the overhead line of the coal tracks.

RWE neither the cops had published anything about it. Probably because they do not want to openly admit the increasing number of actions that might jeopardize the mining operation (which by the way also brought us the idea to commit ourselves in this field in this way) and because they don’t want to give rise to a public debate. Actions such as this one demonstrate the vulnerability of a supposedly invulnerable energy giant. They also show that there are people who are willing to take substantial personal risks to bring an end to this miserable destructive nonsense.

Apparently RWE lacks a public relations strategy that is able to provide an answer to such an action. Let’s go on preventing them to have even one peaceful moment, as long as the excavators stay running.

Continue ReadingFire at a signal box of the coal railroad

Note from the owner of the meadow

In the lawsuit against the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, applying for a declaration of invalidity of the zoning decision concernng the relocation of the motorway A 4, the Federal Administrative Court has set the hearing date at

Wednesday, 22 March 2017 10:00

in the courthouse Leipzig, Simsonplatz 1, 04107 Leipzig, – courtroom IV, 2nd floor, room 2-030.

Continue ReadingNote from the owner of the meadow

RWE wants the meadow: voluntarily or by force!

According to the owner of the meadow, RWE Power AG demands the approval of the sale of the meadow including the protest camp. If this consent is not obtained, the area including the protest camp will be expropriated (“Grundabtretungsverfahren”).

He says that a talk is to be conducted in the presence of the legal advisor of RWE Power AG. Then everything will be discussed in more detail. If the discussion is refused, the expropriation proceedings shall be initiated. On threat of this delicate evil (§ 240 German Criminal Code: coercion) the owner of the meadow has agreed to talk with representatives of RWE Power AG..

A proposal of the owner of the meadow for a meeting in November, after the hearing of the action brought against the 3th basic operating plan Hambach before the administrative court in Aachen was rejected. They said it was too late. It remained unclear why.

Then a talk was fixed for Friday, October 07, 2016. Representatives of the meadow have the right to participate in this discussion and are invited, because their interests are directly affected.

The owner of the meadow does not understand why RWE must have the meadow including the protest camp already now, although the meadow will not be used for the open pit until about 2022 to complete and the pending litigation against the relocation of the A 4 and against the 3th basic operating plan Hambach, the open pit Hambach still at any time could be stopped completely and according to interim measures.

Continue ReadingRWE wants the meadow: voluntarily or by force!

Skillsharing Camp 09/24-10/07

| deutsch | français |
UPDATE 09/15 – The program below has been updated! Some times have been changed or moved. Some workshops have been added and others disappeared. In any case it is worthwhile to look at it again. The German version (see link above) of this program always is the most actual one, that’s why it is partially in English. You’d better check if dates and times match.

This year’s Skillsharing Camp will take place from Sept. 24th to Oct 7th . In order to give you an appetizer you can find here the provisional program. Provisional means that both individual times as well as items still can, and probably will be modified. So it is worthwhile to look at the blog from time to time for updates and changes. The workshop program goes up to and including October 2nd – afterwards you are invited to romp about in and around the forest with activities of your choice.
You want to offer something too? Send a mail with your favorite date & time to: hambacherforstÄTriseup.net or just announce your workshop spontaneously at the camp.
We are looking forward to the camp and hope you will come numerously. This year there was no flyer, so we are all the more dependent on your promotion for the camp (internet, word-of-mouth…).

The Program:

Continue ReadingSkillsharing Camp 09/24-10/07