“For Hambach we will design a completely new lignite planning,
so that the forest could be preserved permanently” …
… thus “recently” the CEO of RWE AG, Rolf Martin Schmitz, according to Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, edition Rhein-Erft, page 32, last column, last paragraph: “Excavators come closer to the forest”.
What does that mean in detail? more…
German original: Indymedia
RWE announced yesterday via press release in their usual self-assured style, “within a short time” to want to fell trees, which are “dead or incurably damaged by the drought of last summer as well as by pest infestation”. Affected are allegedly 9 different, unspecified, locations in the occupied part of the forest, in the Merzenicher Erbwald near Morschenich, in the forest near the Hambach railroad and in the mining area.
Although we have nothing against trees occasionally falling on the rails, we will refer to the more ecologically valuable contiguous woodlands in the occupied part of the forest and in the Merzenicher Erbwald. more…
Some may still remember: the German Greens once had the suggestion to set up a veggie day once a week in public canteens. All very nice and without obligation. They will not forget it that soon! They have not recovered from this shock until today. In the following shitstorm especially the term prohibition party was used very often and the Greens have become even more non-binding, with some pleasing exceptions.
However, it is now common knowledge that meat consumption and the production of animal food cause the greatest environmental impact. Meat addicts quip in the social media: “These vegans eat the food of my food!” This alone shows that everyone knows it: Actually, the reverse is the case. They feed on the livelihoods of the poor and even of the planet. more…
In addition to the report on the occupation in Morschenich (House occupied in Morschenich) two people from the forest write here, because they feel the need to give a comment in retrospect. As always, the following is a formulation of individuals and not necessarily representative of the whole forest population.
An important point of anti-capitalist criticism starts right here: If a company can own a whole village, it can also determine what happens to it.
The examples of Manheim and Morschenich, where RWE relocates people and destroys houses, history and personal memories, in order to re-market the entire region, makes obvious the whole tragedy that comes with the massive depropriation by a big company. In the form of the villages, Hambach forest and the surrounding forests, RWE not only possesses important resources, but also can design the whole region and its habitats. Actually, such kind of property is theft. Because even if the company stops lignite mining in the region and instead pursues other plans (industry settlement etc.), it does not focus on the needs of those still living here, it’s all just about maximizing profits. This approach has always been supported by the state government in Düsseldorf. more…
We received the open letter below. We apologize for the late release because it was sent to us in a time in which we had a lot to do with our struggle. Here Leonard Peltier expresses his solidarity with the fight for Hambach Forest from the high security prison in Coleman / Florida.
We asked for the original text, which probably is in English, to publish it here. Meanwhile, you can read it translated back into English. Underneath you can find more details about Leonard and his struggle and how you can write to him.
Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Germany
As you know, in our Native American spiritual philosophy, the connection to Mother Earth, Mother Nature, as you would say, is a very important element. We as human beings are only part of the sacred circle that connects people, plants, animals, mountains, rivers, winds and rain – we are all connected and related. Or as we Lakota say: Mitakuye Oyasin – ALL MY RELATIONS. more…
This post was written shortly before the commission mentioned below published its results. As you may see, it is still very actual!
Opinions and thoughts of a group of people from the forest about the upcoming end of the commission on growth, structural change and employment
This commission is also known as coal-commission. This term is often been used in the public to create a false presentation. The exit of coal is just one of many topics, which is also just being discussed under “economical aspects”. Also the commission is talking about how to follow the aims for climate protection and the reduction of the CO2-emissions. For us it’s a mystery, how they want to reduce emissions, since they are actually talking about growth. more…
It’s that time again: the feast of peace is upon us. Millions of ducks, geese, pigs, turkeys, carps, cows, chickens, rabbits, roes and others have to put their heads on the block for it. I’m dreaming of a red Christmas. Their horrible lives end with a horrible death, so that on Christmas eve they are put on tables where is more disputed than on any other day. It is so nice to put the corpse of a victim of violence on the table at such a peaceful celebration. Before that, gifts have to be bought, in brightly lit pedestrian precincts or at mail-order stores, which treat their employees like the last piece of shit to squeeze more out of them. more…
This autumn, many people have realized what meanwhile provokes in the Hambach Forest a weary nod: the police (and their brothers and sisters in arms working directly for RWE) can do whatever they want. These are not slip-ups of sadists, it obviously has system. Should others and we ourselves be deterred from doing more than “just” protesting? Should violent ecoterrorists be bred? We can not look into their heads.
So many people have come a little naively into the forest with the intention of using their democratic right to demonstrate, who now lost all faith in the rule of law, due to repression. more…
During last forest walk (11/11/2018), two police officers participated. Constant calls and transpis made these contact officers realize that they had no business in the forest and then they went away towards the end of the walk.
What it means to people when police are in the forest can be difficult to understand for many people who have not had much to deal with police and were not involved in the evictions. For weeks the forest was besieged by hundertschaft-units (Units of the federal security alert police of about hundred officers), SEK, eviction tanks. Week-long eviction, that means sleep deprivation for many nights, psychological pressure and stress, to see how your friends are beaten up and the destruction of your home. This psycho terror by the police in recent months had traumatic consequences for many people. The Hambach Forest was and is a living space for many people, above all, a free space, which it is no longer, when police are walking by the forest.
Today there were many small rounds in which the topic “police in the forest” was discussed energetically and emotionally. Since many participators in the forest walk could not understand why we react this way, we want to make it clear once again, since today it was not really the right place nor enough tranquility for a detailed discussion of the topic. more…
Dear Hambis, I just sent this message to my brother-in-law. It needs no further explanation:
Hello X, I hear you are worried about the garbage in Hambach Forest. Rightly so. Unlike what the police wants to make us believe, it was created during the evictions, as the tree houses were scattered on the forest floor, along with everything in there, including windows. But something has been done in the meantime. This was a message from October 14 on Twitter:
Today was #Hambiputz @Oaktown1312 is full of broken pieces. Help Clumsy & Co with shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, possibly sieves, firm bags or similar, gloves. We first collected shards in one place. #HambacherWald #Hambibleibt.
There are a lot of people who walk around barefoot, at least in the never-ending summer. You can see all the pictures from before the eviction: nowhere but a pinch of garbage.
The bat caves are now free again. Bat rescue action more…
