First published on the German Blog on 27th of May.

This morning more than 100 Cops entered the forest (with technical- and climbing unit). At about 9:40 am they arrived at the pirate ship, which is a quite new living barricade at the entrance of the forest at the old motorway exit.
The cops came with diggers, wheel loaders and lifting ramps. The pirate ship was evicted and by now four persons are arrested. Afterwards they evicted another few barricades on the way to Oaktown (which is one of the treehouse-occupations). By now it looks like the police is retreating – but we cannot be certain at the moment – this is not an „all-clear“! More updates will follow.

Update: The technical units have retreated from the forest – but there still seem to be up to 7 police vans parked at the edge of the forest.

Due to information from the police Kerpen the four captives are now being brought to the main police station in Cologne (Kalk).

Update: 3:50 pm – We just got the information that the first person is free! Strengh to the persons who are still imprisoned and to the supporters on-site.

Update: The 7 police cars rode off at about 2 pm.

These are some photos of the police action:

Das Piratenschiff wird geräumt

Picknick nach der Räumung

First published on the German Blog on 27th of May.

On wednesday morning at about 9:40 am a living barricade in the Hambach Forest was evicted. Four persons were arrested and are still imprisoned in the main police station of Cologne. The Hambach Forest is occupied by environmental activists, in order to hinder the forest clearing executed by energy monopolist RWE for the exploitation of brown coal. To protect their treehouses from evictions, occupants have barricaded forest tracks. For the same reason an inhabited barricade is permanently occupied. The police operation in the forest is finished since around 2 pm.

Correction: There seem to have been only three arrests. But it is impossible to say anything precisely until the arrested people are free – unless the police would allow them their legal right to make phonecalls.

We at the Hambacher Forest have been resisting enviromental destruction by the largest coal mine in Western Europe for the last three years experiencing 3 major evictions and numerous police and security actions. Now we are facing a new peril. Our support camp with its vegan kitchen, theater, infoshop and 2 libraries, numerous living and guest spaces is facing legal proceedings in Aachen on the 21st of May with a demonstration of support on May 16th in Cologne.
The Meadow Support Camp has become a canvas for building with strawbail, green roofs, renewable energy and biodynamic farming. It is also a home to many activists including two families with children. Suppoting at the same time two forest occupations, direct action campaigs and public events.
We would like to call for international solidarity and support in the form of legal assistance in Germany as well as internationally. Please contact the court involved:

Demonstration on the 16th of May
Against coal mining in rheine area
Cologne / Ehrenfeld 14 o’clock

Prozess on the 21st of May
Achen Administrative Court
Adalbertsteinweg 92
im Justizzentrum
52070 Aachen
fax 0241 9425 83204
tel 0241 9425 0

This is the court that will be attempting to use building code regulations to destroy structures in the Meadow Support Camp. It is the same regulations that are regularly used against earthship, straw bail and other informal architecture and spaces in favor of resource extraction rich(wasteful and destructive) habitats and interests.