Political prayer in Immerath

Politisches Gebet in Immerath, 7. Jan. 2018

Let’s put it undauntedly: we want a change, a real change, a change in the structures. This system is no longer acceptable; the campesinos can not stand it, the workers can not stand it, the communities can not stand it, the peoples can not stand it… Nor does the earth, “our sister, Mother Earth”, as St. Francis said.
Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Social Movements in Bolivia in 2015.

In the background: the “Cathedral of Immerath”, on the last day of its existence?
Before that, the demolishing machine with the extra long arm of the company Herzog is already waiting. In front of it, the fence that is supposed to keep unauthorized persons away from the “construction” place. With a quote from the boss of the organization that once was the owner of this building. We would like to hear many of that radical statements from him. But maybe there is too much disagreement in the church?
In front of that fence, Christian women who are very much in agreement with this statement, Catholic and Protestant, who organized this political prayer.
There were about 300 people.
The words of a child were also read out about this demolition: “Hopefully the excavator will not start!”
At the end someone said: “Let’s not forget that without the people in the tree houses, the Hambach Forest would not exist anymore!” Big applause.
Spontaneously, one of these people said: “Please do not believe the horror tales about us. Come and visit us!”

Videos of the day before, January 6th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHF-36CL1o
https://vimeo.com/249955478
German press:
https://www.ksta.de/region/rhein-erft/kerpen/tagebau-abrissbagger-versetzen-immerather-dom-den-todesstoss-29443990
http://www.rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/erkelenz/immerather-dom-ein-wahrzeichen-verschwindet-abriss-beginnt-heute-aid-1.7305938
http://www.taz.de/Braunkohleabbau-am-Niederrhein/!5472039/

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The demolition of the Immerath Cathedral on 01/08/2018


Source: https://twitter.com/Barbara_Schnell/status/946500576434704385

Immerath is one of the villages that have to disappear in favour of the extracting of lignite. The church is called the Dom (cathedral), because of its size.

The Citizens’ Initiative A Dom for Immer(ath) invites to a vigil and a political prayer on Jan. 7th. There was an open planning meeting on January 3.

And now a mail on this topic, that was sent to us:

Hello everybody,

on a sad current occasion this mail at the beginning of the year.

On Monday, the 8th of January, the destruction of the Immerath Dom will start. St. Lambertus will be razed to the ground on behalf of RWE.

Everything has to give way to the lignite – villages, churches, forests, people and animals.

We will use the extermination of the Immerath Dom to set an impressive signal again. No other village, no other church, no other forest may be destroyed for lignite.

Ein Dom für Immer(ath)
(A cathedral for Immerath. Immer = always)

On Sunday, January 7, there will be a vigil in Immerath from 12 o’clock. At 1 o’clock pm, various initiatives invite to a political prayer.

One day before, Saturday, January 6th, Epiphany. From 1:00 o’clock we will celebrate this day at St. Lambertus. The kings at the cathedral. A registered vigil at St. Lambertus. With as many people as possible. We will set up tables and benches, eat, drink, talk, sing, be silent, play music, draw red lines… of course, as with the biblical Magi, culinary gifts of all kinds are welcome.

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Cable fire at the opencast mine

We found this article at indymedia:

On 12/24/2017 we set the cables on fire that supply the Hambach open-pit mine with electricity. So at least some of the huge machines were halted there. The cables were in this case at the viewpoint on the open pit (near Terra Nova).

The Hambach mine is a hole that is larger than Cologne, in which is dug for lignite (brown coal). The burning of this coal emits an incredible amount of CO₂ (as well as other things, such as arsenic, mercury, …), thus fueling climate change. Climate change has catastrophic consequences, such as droughts, floods and storms, causing many people to die or be deprived of their livelihoods.
In addition, for this open pit many people have to move out of their villages, as they have to give way to the opencast mining and the Hambacher Forst, an ancient, beautiful forest is being cut down.

Stop Coal now!

To RWE: Merry Crisis and a happy new fear!

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