During this last time, the mediatic attention to the Hambacher Forst occupation has massively increased. We’ve been appearing on news all over the world, but there is some important detail that casually most part of the media seems to forget, so we are gonna have to make it clear (again): the problem is much larger than this forest getting cut and this coal mine being active. The problem is larger than every forest getting cut and every mine destroying Earth. The problem is capitalism. And this is the message that the media has been taking away from us.

You can live a cute easy life, sign petitions, buy stuff on the biomarket, close the sink while you are brushing your teeth and turn off all lights to don’t waste electricity, and, don’t get us wrong, that’s okay, but as long as we live on a system that needs infinite growth on a world that has limited resources, that’s not gonna stop enviromental destruction.

We need an anticapitalist view of ecologism.
We need an ecologist view of anticapitalism.
We need to see beyond coal.
And we need you all to make an step farther to stop climate change, to make an step farther to destroy capitalism.

If it’s not you, who?
If it’s not now, when?

(Statement from one person in the forest, not from the whole movement.)

Throughout a history of relentless and brutal police interventions, those occupying Hambacher Wald in opposition to RWE’s ecological devastation and structural violence, have been forced to seek recourse in even more inventive methods of non-violent resistance, often putting their own safety at risk.
Over the years many of us have been physically violated, persecuted and put in jail for defending life in Hambacher Wald and beyond. Incessantly the police has chased us down – in this fatal instance in a tragically literal sense.
Even if no direct causation can be established between police activities and Stefan’s lethal fall, throughout the current police operation a series of life-threatening interventions have been observed, such as the cutting of traverserses with people in them and – Germany, what?! – the emission of carbon monoxide in a subterranean chamber.
How many more broken bones do we need, how many more fatalities, until we will collectively open our eyes to the reality of police violence, to the role of the police in perpetuating mass-destructive corporations structural violence and to the police’s institutional function of protecting the interests of the wealthy to the detriment of the oppressed?
The sudden death of Stefan has not altered our initial motivations for being here. However shamelessly the police may proceed to evict the Hambacher Wald occupation, we shall not flinch, we shall not surrender – we are here, and if we must, we will come back.
For the forest and for Stefan.

EVICTION IN THE EAST AND THE WEST, SOLIDARITY CONCERT IN FRONT OF THE FOREST

With tired eyes we are writing the press-announcement for the day. Since morning the eviction of the treehouse-village. With four cherry-pickers the police attempted to bring down the people from the traverses and tree-houses, but through lock-ons, the good and motivated mood of the activists and the supporters, four treehouses stayed occupied and undestroyed. The eviction and Gallien has been going for two days, and the police still has a lot to do, to completely remove the activists.
The activists remain resistant! That was also apparent in Oaktown: one climate-justice warrior keeps Oaktown alive. Lying in his hammock, only equipped with a bag full of books, he managed not to give in to the police forces. In stead, the police, at least for now, seem to have given up, bringing him down from the tree.

In the Westside of the occupation, the eviction notice was read out loud for the second time, and the eviction begun. Through several sitting-blockades and newly erected barricades, activists (including people from Aktion Unterholz) delayed and complicated the eviction.
RWE begun cutting a path to the trees around Beechtown in the Westside. As people loudly yelled “stop it!”, a moment came, where the machines actually stopped.
Maybe employees of RWE have begun thinking about their actions inside the 12,000 year old Hambach
In Cozy-town the mood of the activists in the trees is holding up, despite the violent destruction in the forest. Singing they showed their opposition to RWE and the police, and were forced to experience the destruction of their home, and the kidnapping of their comrades. Here the eviction is drawing into the night, as police has put up spotlights around the occupation. Four tree-houses here are still occupied.

A cello-player also loud and clearly showed their solidarity with the occupiers of the Hambach forest. Playing a symphony from Bach, she was a wonderful example of the movements diversity. Only through the support from all edges, the eviction was possible to delay.
Also our punk supporters came numerous to the forest. With a solidarity-concert from punk-bands Zen Mob and Mülheim Asozial, and singer-songwriter Conny, they made their feelings about environmental-destruction and climate-justice clear. “Beer against diggers, beer against Germany, beer against diggers and Germany!” blasted through to the otherwise calm evening-atmosphere on the Meadow.

We want to make another thing clear: Even though the situation may seem calmer in the media, the insane eviction is violently continuing!
Police made sure that press-speakers were continually being kept away from the crime-scenes of RWE, but nonetheless all day more people are arriving, who are no longer willing to see the eco-terrorism of RWE and interior-minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU). Your presence and support gives the activists in the trees new power, motivation and courage, to continue in the common struggle for climate-justice here and now!

Thanks to the strong atmosphere of the solidarity-concert tonight, we are ready for the next days, ready to continue opposing RWE and the police, and continue drawing a clear line for the people on the outside: Hambi stays, today and forever!