Journalist Dies During German Police Sweep of Hambach Forest
Hambach Forest, Germany – One person has been confirmed to have died during police operations to clear the Hambach Forest to make way for a coal mine. The injury leading to the man’s death took place Wednesday afternoon as officers were attempting to remove protesters from trees, which they had climbed to prevent them from being cut down.
The deceased was a journalist who fell to his death while police were making arrests in the immediate area.
Update September 19, 2018 8:00 pm: Today’s tragic events will change everything. The action will not take place as planned. At the moment we do not know if something else will be done instead. We express our condolences to the relatives and friends of the journalist who died in Hambacher Forst today.
Forest activists from “Hambi Bleibt” (Hambi Lives) quickly released a statement regarding the tragic incident:
“A friend who has accompanied us journalistically for a long time in the forest today fell from a plank bridge over 20 meters high in Beechtown and died. At the time police and RWE tried to clear the tree house village. The SEK [SWAT] was in the process of arresting an activist near the plank bridge. The man was apparently on the way there when he fell.
We are deeply shocked. All our thoughts and wishes are with him. Our compassion goes to all the relatives, friends and people who feel affected. We urge the police and RWE to leave the forest immediately and stop this dangerous operation. No further lives may be endangered. What is needed now is a moment of calmness.
German police told the newspaper Der Speigel that they are investigating the area as a crime scene. Police have also reportedly stopped their eviction operations against the climate justice activists in the wake of the deadly incident.
For days, German state police have been attempting to clear tree-sits and other blockades to facilitate clear-cutting the Hambach Forest so the area can be strip-mined.
Activists have been recently joined by many additional supporters looking to defend the forest, and police have made several arrests before today’s incident.
Coal company RWE plans to destroy all of what remains of the ancient Hambach Forest in order to access the lignite coal deposits that lie underneath.
Title image credit: Aktion Unterholz
#AktionRebuild: Come to #HambacherForest!
from Enough is Enough
Update September 19, 2018 8:00 pm: Today’s tragic events will change everything. The action will not take place as planned. At the moment we do not know what will be done instead.
On Saturday we want to give the forest a voice again. The sounds of the chants on the forest walk are still in our memories.
The “Rebuild” action is another attempt to give our protest a structure, to give the push of solidarity one more platform, to save the forest and to stop the uprooting. Therefore we nee massive support! Get creative and start to build. Nothing is over yet, Hambi stays!
Come to the Hambacher forest vigil on Saturday. Wait for further announcements.
The Free 