As we arrived at the official starting point, several thousand people were already there and the crowd continued to grow. The first groups didn’t even wait for the official forest walk to start, they went immediately into the forest. They were checked by cops at the entry of the forest, but were allowed to pass after their bags were searched. Last week the cops lost their checkpoint after a few hours, but this week people didn’t even try to put pressure on that checkpoint. People that didn’t want to get checked just went into the forest on other spots.
That’s something we didn’t know yet as I made the livestream in the tweet below.
Hambacher Forest: Another day is over in this tough, weeks-long eviction by police and state machinery for the profits of RWE and their coal lobby.After the destruction of Oaktown, Gallien, Cozytown, Beechtown and Kleingartenverein, Lorien is the last major occupation that is still fought for. For days, the police there tried to evict the people from their tree houses
On the fourth day of the eviction of the Hambach Forest occupation, activists and supporters from all over made it clear to energy-giant RWE and the government of NRW, that the squatters inside the forest are not alone in their struggle!
Originally published by Hambi Bleibt. Edited by Enough is Enough.
Already from early in the morning, it was clear that the weekly “forest walk” was going to be something special.
09:39 September 16: Activist started #AufBäumen this morning. While #RWE and cops evict, cut trees and destroy #HambacherForest, activists are planting new trees. #HambacherForst #Eco #HambacherWald #HambiBleibt Image by @_mtiemann pic.twitter.com/ZijD8Fxcio
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
Despite the fact, that police beforehand had made it official that the “forest-walk”, led by Eva and Michael Zobel, would not be allowed to enter the forest, thousands of people, from all stages of life, went towards the nearby village of Buir, completely filling up several trains on the way there. After hours of continuous arrival of motivated “forest-walkers”, the march began moving in the direction of the forest, waving flags, yelling slogans, and showing their solidarity with the climate-justice activists inside the occupation, and protesting for the preservation of the 12,000 year old forest, and against the extraction of lignite-coal by energy-giant RWE.
11:01 Cops are busy evicting tree houses in #Oaktown #HambacherForest – #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt Image by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/B6PdXGWhj0
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
When arriving at the protest vigil, many hundred people chose to break off from the march, and while yelling “we want a forest walk!” managed to break through police lines, entering the forest.
Here people spread out, surrounded the occupations that were being evicted, in order to support the activists, and some places even managed to force the police to leave the premises. At one point a few hundred activists managed to completely surround an eviction tank near the Cozy-town occupation! Others went through the forest, erecting barricades, and playing cat-and-mouse games with the officers still present.
Although police violently arrested several activists, these moments gave people the strong experience of how active self-empowerment and solidarity is the strongest weapon against repression, making it clear that if we are determined enough, we can overcome any obstacles.
They may have the money, but we have the masses!
13:37 According to @AktionUnterholz there are 7000 people at the #HambacherForest walk today. – #HambacherForst #AktionUnterholz #Aufbäumen #HambiBleibt. Video by @MonaNeubaur pic.twitter.com/EsQmWnyIbl
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
While some people were taking back the forest, attempting to halt the destruction of the unique ecosystems of the Hambach Forest, the action group “AufBäumen Gegen Kohle” had planned a “tree-planting action”, where a large group, equipped with shovels, watering cans and seedlings, attempted to plant new trees at the edge of the forest, bringing new life, to make up for the mass-murder committed by RWE.
Their peaceful protest however was met with very aggressive behaviour from the police, pushing and punching activists to keep them from getting to their goal.
14:59 Hundreds left the registered Forest walk that was not allowed into #HambacherForest by cops. Many people now went into the forest as a wild spontaneous demo. #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt Video by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/eDnQ1GTfVp
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
At the end of the day, despite the presence of large amounts of activists and supporters, police forces managed to evict the rest of the treehouses in Oaktown, including Mousehouse, Floki and Nest. One activist in Oaktown, however, impressively managed to stay up in a tree throughout the day, where they still remain to this moment.
The police also began the eviction in the so-called “WWestside”, which includes the treehouse-villages Beech-town and Cozy-town. From here two people were evicted and transported away to the pre-charge detention centre.
13:53 Cops continue with evictions this Sunday. People at sit-blockade chant “#HambiBleibt!” (Hambi stays). #HambacherForest #HambacherForst Image by @KimKolumna pic.twitter.com/ofl2BhRpRY
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
Throughout the day, the police kept press-workers at a distance, making it hard (almost impossible) for journalists to properly show the brutal reality of the police’s destruction of the climate-justice occupation in national and international media. It seems clear, that for interior-minister of NRW Herbert Reul (CDU) and the government of NRW, the protection of the interests of energy-giant RWE and the coal-lobby, has higher priority than the protection of the “freedom of the press”.
15:28 Cops are powerless. Hundreds reach the next “village” in #HambacherForest #HambacherForst #HambiBleibt #eco #antireport Video by @infozentrale pic.twitter.com/lOOIglTnWl
— Enough is Enough! (@enough14) 16. September 2018
The support and solidarity in the last days has been truly empowering, giving us the energy to keep going. Although tomorrow Monday brings with it for many people the beginning of another working week, we are hoping to see all of you here, to help keep the resistance alive! Hambacher Forst stays, to infinity and beyond!
On 7 continents, in 95 countries, with 900+ actions, people worldwide demanded real climate action from their local leaders.
People worldwide displayed the growing strength and diversity of the climate movement.
Together they showed the world what real climate leadership looks like. People everywhere are turning away from the age of fossil fuels and it’s time for politicians to follow. There’s no time to lose.
In 2018 the world experienced unprecedented climate impacts. From catastrophic heatwaves and devastating droughts to deadly wildfires and extreme storms — the world saw the first glimpses of what the future could be without urgent action to solve the climate crisis. ….
https://hambachforest.org/blog/ The polices forces of NRW have currently begun the eviction of treehouses in the Hambach Forest occupation. They will now be violently removing activists and destroying the infrastructure of the occupation, in order to prepare for RWEs continued clearing of the 12.000 year old Hambach Forest.
In this way Herbert Reul (CDU), interior minister of the state of Northrhine-Westphalia, is actively attacking climate justice and democratic civil rights, in support of fossil-fuel giant RWE and the coal-lobby, clearly showing the corruption inherent in the capitalist system.
With the eviction of the first tree houses, the Hambach Forest occupation, alongside several action-alliances (including Ende Gelände, Aktion Unterholz, and Buirer Für Buir) are calling out: Day X is here, and a new phase of the struggle has begun.
In the next days, while RWE employees, with support from the hired soldiers of the German state, attempt to evict the occupation, hundreds of people will join the forest struggle, in order to protect the climate justice protest-camp, and there are many ways to take part. See the text “How do I become active?” for more information. Continue reading “FIRST EVICTIONS BEGIN! Climate Solidarity Alert: occupied #Hambacher Forest”
Maravillas is a tool to move towards the social, radical and complete transformation of our lives. That is why defending spaces like Maravillas is to defend all the projects and people that fight every day for a just world …
The occupied self run center in the Palace of the Marquis of Rozalejo of Pamplona, 20 yrs abandoned and occupied eleven months before, was violently evicted in the middle of the night by the Navarra Govt despite widespread local support. see videos..
Then 2 days later it was resquatted by the same collective who prepared to resist again ‘tooth and nail’.
The Assembly of ‘Gaztetxe Maravillas’, strongly anarcha feminist, demanded that the Government of Navarre “paralyze the eviction process” of the building and “withdraw the complaint against the accused persons” .
The festive march last Saturday was supported by many collectives and local people. Thousands of people have joined the protest led by a banner reading “Wonders Herriantzat” (Wonders for the People) and a second slogan that “is not a gaztetxe, but a way to understand the world” .
Less than a month to go till the intergalactic week begins on the zad. To get you in the mood here is the trailer and the programme of the weeks events:
The ZAD ( Zone to be Defended) in Notre Dame de Landes continues to exist with mass support and block a useless speculation airport.
Last week the cops lost their checkpoint after a few hours, but this week people didn’t even try to put pressure on that checkpoint. People that didn’t want to get checked just went into the forest on other spots.
#Hambacher Forest: Thousands marched in solidarity, hundreds take over the forest
The Free 