[Ende Gelände] Press Release, May 21, 2016

+++ Ende Gelände demands the release of arrested Ende Gelände activists +++

5/21/2016. The alliance Ende Gelände demands the release of four activists who were arrested in the context of actions during the Pentecost weekend, May 13-15. About 3,500 people had blocked in an action of civil disobedience, the Schwarze Pumpe power plant. The police operation during the mass action was largely de-escalating. However, the Alliance criticizes the disproportionate crackdown on involved individuals and small groups; and unacceptable conditions of detention of activists.

Altogether there are currently four people in custody:

Continue Reading[Ende Gelände] Press Release, May 21, 2016

Hundreds shut down UK’S largest opencast coal mine

Final statement: Mass blockade of coal mine ends without arrests
First press release https://reclaimthepower.org.uk/uncategorized/press-release-hundreds-shut-down-uks-largest-opencast-coal-mine/
Live tweets: https://twitter.com/reclaimthepower/with_replies
https://storify.com/350dotorg/reclaim-the-power-end-coal-now
Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/breakfree2016/sets/72157667558968145/with/26721819261/
taz: http://www.taz.de/!5297508/

Continue ReadingHundreds shut down UK’S largest opencast coal mine

RWE Stockholders Meeting 2016

RWE stockholders meeting 2016 in Essen (Germany) was met with outside protest and constant inside disruptions by over 70 activists from groups ranging from Fossil Free and Greenpeace to groups and projects engaging in anti coal blockades and direct actions such as Hambacher Forest, Robin Wood and Indigenous Groups from Siberia resisting the eviction of their villages by coal mining projects linked to RWE. The protests and actions started a day before and during the night with stencils on the pavement and walls around the headquarters of RWE and the convention centre. During the morning tables, banners and inflatables were set up outside of the entrance to the convention hall that was being guarded by both local police on the outside and private security firms inside. Approximately 40 activists got inside as part of the Critical Shareholders action to be at first met with pat down and metal detector searches followed by a large dose of green washing displays and presentations. All the computer stations containing RWE propaganda were promptly redirected to the home page of the Hambach Forest occupation http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/information-about-the-forest/ and remained showing an eco/defense response to coal mining info, attentively read throughout the meeting by stockholders, next to RWE employees happily handing out corporate schwag. Before the actual meeting begun, the setting was rather surreal with activists connecting and taking Virtual Reality tours of RWE coal mines and its diggers, as waiters served drinks to an older and more conservative demographic all around.

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