This Thursday the Standing Rock Camp in North Dakota has been attacked by heavily militarized police and national guard units pointing sniper riffles and machine guns at Dakota Sioux protesters, over 40 people have been arrested and the structures destroyed. The NoDAPL struggle fighting against North Dakota Access Pipleline’s passage through tribal Lands and the Missouri River has resulted in numerous road blockades, direct actions, over 400 arrests and has inspired people around the world who are also fighting and defending the Earth against capitalist extractionism. It has also brought attention to the dynamic of global colonialism, racism and privilege. This like many struggles is and will, through the effects it has had and will continue to have, never be over. New camps are being already established in the area, including the Sacred Stones Camp to which the police is attempting to block delivery of building supplies. The reoccupiers and all those continuing the struggle will have to deal with not just the aftermath and continuing repression but also with the defeatism that so often follows large evictions.

When introducing the Hambacher Forest anti-lignite struggle after four previous evictions, one often hears “Oh I thought you got evicted and it was over”. This, besides a commentary on wide-spread apathy and short and shallow news cycles of mainstream media, is also a reminder that for all facing overwhelming forces the act of defiance symbolizes victory in itself; a victory over inaction, destruction and greed. It removes the blinding influence of those factors from those who hear of the struggle, and generates a public relations nightmare for all who frack, drill and mine the Earth. Most importantly, it has once again taught and reminded us that we are not atomized and alone. All that is needed to reocuppy and continue is the call for action.

An invitation is hence extended to welcome those involved in the NoDAPL struggle to come visit the Hambacher Forest occupation both physically and in spirit, if possible sharing the experiences and decompressing from what you just have been through. Visit us at anytime or specifically for the Skillshares Camp in April or Climate Action Camps in August and November.

Thanks once again for persevering on the fringes of society and in the process becoming its beating heart. Thank You for making a stand as many other camps, including ours, check the horizon daily to see if this is the day when our support camp and the forest occupation will be evicted. That day will come and is already coming as this is being written for many of our human and animal comrades who found and placed themselves on this frontline to protect existence and nature.

To all at the end of the riffle barrel or bulldozer blade: It is not you who has to stay strong, you already have done so and more. Now is the time for all who will be in the same position tomorrow to have the courageous strength that you have demonstrated so far.

The Forest is aready filling with blossoms of wooden alimony and convalias. This is about a month earlier than in previous year reflecting the ongoing disruption and warming of the climate with the largest net CO₂ emitter at the edge of the forest. It is yet another example of life adapting and strugling on the edge of destruction and also could be the last chance and the last year of these plants if the fight to shut down the mine and RWE is not continued.

The Red Line action on Sunday 19. of February brought 1300 people to the Hambacher Forest with buses coming from Netherlands, Belgium and Cologne. Hundreds of people walked from surrounding villages and the Buir train station to the sounds of a Rhythms of Resistance percussion band and converged before roadblocks into the forest. Here the introduction speech took place. Michael Zobel (who leads the forest walks) openly asked newcomers to raise their hands, with at least half of the participators doing so. After walking into the forest, making sure that all stay on trails to reduce erosion, the first talk inside the forest took place at the “Lake”, where an activist duet sang covers of popular tunes redone with ecological and climate lyrics. Next stop was OakTown, where activists wearing carnival masks and wigs waved from tree houses, lowering wicker baskets to be filled with gifts and donations for the occupation. The humorously referred to as “mayor” of OakTown, Clumsy, demonstrated abseiling down the rope and talked about living up in the trees. Next on the tour came the newest treehouse village: Gallien. Here the visitors were serenaded by a forest defender sitting on a monkey bridge between tree houses playing guitar. The forest-walkers’ interest in the occupation led to many conversations with the activists, resulting in organizers hurrying people away to keep the walk on schedule. After walking all across the forest, hot meal and warm matcha tea was shared with all. Before the action the police were asked to identify themselves and several raised their hands. Their presence could be explained by both gathering of intelligence for future eviction actions and for reasons of public relations. Their presence was met with clapping by some of the participants. This was not the easiest thing to accept for many forest defenders who have, are and will continue to deal with physical repression from the Police. In a line two people side by side, the red clad participators formed a line, and with banners and flags marched down the old A4 highway, separating the remaining forest from the clear-cut area with the mine. Here a banner was dropped by camouflage clad activists in the trees. Most people in the line were wearing red, had red banners and included a generational cross section which besides many children and elderly folks also included members of the local motorcycle club. Stretching a long strip of red fabric down the highway, the action symbolized drawing a a border, a red line, from which we will not accept or allow the continuing destruction of the Hambacher Forest and CO2 emissions associated with RWE Operations.
Some stressing resistance and direct action as the main form of activism would argue that this was largely a symbolic, photo-op action, but such statements would ignore: the importance of wider support for this movement; the need to combat disinformation and propaganda distracting from the violence and injuries inflicted by the secus and the police by letting people interact and talk to the forest defenders. Great numbers also strengthen the climate movement and ecological movement and make many in the forest feel less marginalized. It is important to maintain this unity and strength by also critically looking at the dynamic of repression and its role in silencing activism and in the co-option and utilization of law enforcement and justice structures by ecologically and climate criminal corporate enterprises such as RWE.

Linnks to more photos and press articles:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/148272514@N02/albums
https://www.flickr.com/photos/infozentrale/
https://www.facebook.com/Greenpeace.Koeln/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
http://www.mutbuergerdokus.de/html/aktionen/2017_02_19_rote-linie-aktion.htm
https://www.facebook.com/Rheinisches-Revier-Bilder-als-Zeitzeugen-299481500453008/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rheinisches-Revier/1752651971675875?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINEhttp://www.ksta.de/region/rhein-erft/hambacher-forst-ueber-1000-demonstranten-haben-noch-hoffnung-25764048in
und ein Artikel aus dem Stadtanzeiger:
http://www.ksta.de/region/rhein-erft/hambacher-forst-ueber-1000-demonstranten-haben-noch-hoffnung-25764048