IndyMedia - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland

Wanneer: 16/07/2017 - 14:32

From 24th to 29th August 2017, we will severely disrupt the slick operations of the Rhineland coal mining area with mass acts of civil disobedience (video). In doing so, we will take a stand against the continued extraction and combustion of coal, one of the largest drivers of disastrous global average temperature rises.

Given the urgency of the climate problem, we consider it necessary and appropriate to go one step further than usual and carry out acts of civil disobedience instead of public protest. And we will do this as part of the larger Rhineland action days (video).

Our action will take the form of a publicly announced mass blockade which people can take part in in different ways – following the model of the successful blockades in the Rhineland in 2015 and Lausitz (Lusatia) in 2016. We will structure our action in a way which gives everyone a chance to participate, whether seasoned protesters or not. We will block technical infrastructure such as railways, access roads and diggers to cut power stations off from the coal supplies. We will maintain our blockades for several days. We will take straw mattresses with us so that we can be confortable while we blockade. We will draw attention to the many different destructive consequences of coal extraction and combustion with a range of banners, coal-related objects and placards.

We will behave calmly and carefully and will not trigger any escalation or put anyone in danger. We will use our bodies to block and occupy. We will not damage or destroy any infrastructure in doing so. We will move through or around police or company barriers and not be provoked. Our action will paint a picture or diversity, creativity and openness. Our action is not directed against RWE workers, RWE contractors or the police. The safety of the activists taking part and that of the RWE workers is our highest priority.

We are preparing carefully and reliably for our actions. We come from different social movements and political spectra. Together we are taking responsibility for the success of the action. We want to create an atmosphere of transparency for all participants in which we look out for and support each other. We will prepare ourselves for the blockade together by conducting action training in advance. We will show solidarity with everyone who is resisting the climate violence of coal power and is standing up to the social and ecological consequences of fossil energy production. We firmly oppose any attempts to use opposition to coal extraction for reactionary or nationalist aims.

For more information, see the following video: "Ende Gelände - Our ultimatum to RWE", https://www.ende-gelaende.org/en/