Activists have been protecting the Hambach forest with their presence and their bodies. Six years ago they started buildung tree houses to occupy the forest. Now, as the situation escalates and police carry out evictions to make way for the loggers, the people defending Hambi have called for international solidarity.
So let’s send the protesters on the frontlines a powerful message of hope and support. Let’s help them stay strong, and stay safe: the more eyes focused on the Hambi struggle, the more the authorities might hesitate to use violence against the peaceful resistance.
Show your support, sign the letter in solidarity with people defending Hambi!
Credit: Hambi Info via Flickr
About three weeks ago, the government of Northrhine-Westphalia ordered the police to start the eviction of the Hambach Forest. Since then, the largest part of the beautiful treehouses built by climate activists over the past years has been forcefully destroyed. One person died in a tragic accident.
At the same time, the opposition to the evictions and RWE’s disastrous plans to clearcut the forest has continued to grow – in Germany and around the world.
The number of participants in the weekly forest walks organised by a local citizen grew from 500 at the end of August to 10.000 in September. Even more people are expected to join a demonstration organized by NGOs on 6 October.
After a journalist died tragically in the Forest, activists in Germany and abroad were holding vigils. Last Sunday, thousands visited the site of the accident expressing their condolences. French activists lit the lighthouse at la ZAD in his honour. Vigils were held across Europe – for example in Berlin, Brussels and London.
https://twitter.com/PhilMacD1/status/1044281790364610562
Over the past weeks, Aktion Unterholz has been organizing mass actions of civil disobedience to support the people occupying the Forest. On 6 October there will be a joint action of mass civil disobedience, together with Ende Gelände.
In Berlin, activists from Ende Gelände occupied the representation of Northrhine Westphalia in order to call for a stop of the evictions carried out by the land’s government. Activists from 350.org participated in a symbolic occupation of a local branch of Deutsche Bank, demanding that the bank stops financing RWE’s destructive business.
Klimaaktivisten haben eben symbolisch eine Deutsche Bank Filiale in Berlin besetzt. Sie fordern, dass die Räumung im #HambacherForst sofort beendet wird & dass die @DeutscheBankAG Investitionen in Klimakiller wie RWE stoppt. 2012-2017 investierte die Bank 800 Mio€ in die @RWE_AG pic.twitter.com/48iUkpbW8r
— 350.org Deutschland (@350Deutschland) September 14, 2018
In addition, there has been a wave of solidarity statements from around the world: the Colombian Women group “Mujeres Guerreras de la Sierra Colombia“ sent a video message. Climate activists from Africa, Bhutan and Mexico posted solidarity pictures on Twitter.
Uns hat ein Soli Video aus Kolumbien für uns alle erreicht! @HambiBleibt @Ende__Gelaende @AktionUnterholz – Danke an unsere Freundinnen, a las „Mujeres Guerreras de la Sierra Colombia“ aus dem Cesar – #HambacherForst #hambibleibt #EndCoal #Waldspaziergang #NoAlCarbon pic.twitter.com/Pi1pnuH4p3
— ausgeCO2hlt (@ausgeCO2hlt) September 23, 2018
The extraction and use of coal in Germany is heating up the climate crisis and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.
In order to stop the evictions and the destuction of the ancent forest, we need to keep up the pressure on the German and Northrhine Westphalian governments as well as on RWE over the coming weeks. Let’s show them that this is not a national issue, but a global one! Are you going to join?
There are also many ways in which you can show your solidarity with the struggle to save Hambi and keep dirty coal in the ground where it belongs:
- Sign and share this letter of solidarity, and add your own message of support. We’ll make sure it reaches the people on the frontline.
- Take a picture of yourself with the words #HambiBleibt (Hambi Stays) and post it on social media, to help make the struggle visible across the world.
- Organise an action during the day of solidarity with Hambi, this Sunday 30 September. Here’s some more information.
- Come to the Hambach forest and join the resistance. Demonstrations will take place on 6 October, and an Ende Gelände mass action in planned for 25-28 October. Here’s how.
Together we will make sure that all fossil fuels are left in the ground and climate justice becomes a reality. Stay strong.