Category: Wilderness Defence

Wilderness defence

Sabotage Action in Mayo

June 13, 2012

June 13, 2012

Last week a stone crushing machine central to the operation of Barretts Quarry in Bangor, County Mayo was decomissioned. Barretts Quarry was targeted because it supplies materials crucial to the construction of Royal Dutch Shell's dangerous and destructive raw gas pipeline in Broadhaven Bay.

This action was taken in solidarity with the local community who have been in struggle against Royal Dutch Shell for the past ten years, and should serve to demonstrate that any company complicit in supporting Royal Dutch Shell's activities in Mayo, and beyond, can and will be targeted.

Tree protest called off after Network Rail concessions

28 May 2012

Campaigners – including three protesters who chained themselves to a tree – claim victory after Network Rail postpones planned tree clearance on a railway embankment near Whitstable in Kent.

28 May 2012

Campaigners – including three protesters who chained themselves to a tree – claim victory after Network Rail postpones planned tree clearance on a railway embankment near Whitstable in Kent.

 

More than 100 protesters held a demonstration on the Cromwell Road railway embankment in an attempt to halt the start of work to remove trees, which Network Rail claims could cause instability on the track.

The protesters, many of whom were local residents, are concerned that the works would take place during the bird-breeding season when many are nesting in the trees.

A five-hour long protest, during which three female protesters in their 50s and 60s chained themselves to a tree on the embankment, started at 7.30am with campaigners brandishing placards bearing slogans including "stop the slaughter of wildlife".

The demonstration was called off after Network Rail informed campaigners in writing that it was halting the works until September, after the bird breeding season has finished.

'Claiming victory'

The statement by Network Rail fulfils two of the protesters' three demands. One campaigner said that they would now concentrate on persuading Network Rail to agree to their remaining demand, for better consultation with residents and the use of truly independent conservation experts.

"Whitstable people are now claiming this as a victory," said Julie Wassmer, who was among the three who had chained themselves to the tree. "Today, Network Rail are now aware that the people of Whitstable are not backing off."

The rail infrastructure operator planned to start removing the trees because of concerns about subsidence caused by their roots.

An independent ecologist carried out an assessment this morning on behalf of Network Rail to determine how many birds' nests were in the affected trees.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's route managing director for Kent, said: "After a thorough inspection with an independent ecologist, the work to remove selected trees along this stretch of railway has been postponed owing to the suspected number of nesting birds.

"Because this work is essential for the future safety of the railway, we will return at a later date to complete it once the nests have been vacated. Residents will receive a minimum of 10 days’ notice before the start date and we will carry out a full inspection before the work begins."

'Useful reminder'

The trees had already been given a temporary stay of execution after plans to remove them in April were put on hold.

Mark Thomas, an RSPB investigations officer, said: "The attempts by Network Rail to clear trackside vegetation from a line in Kent is a useful reminder to everyone that the nests of all wild birds are protected by law during the nesting season.

"Thanks to protests the RSPB, Kent and British Transport Police, and not least local campaigners, Network Rail are aware of this.

We now trust they will plan their track clearance work outside the bird-nesting season where they will be able to carry out essential work without causing environmental damage and sparking the outrage of communities who care about their local wildlife."

—-

Earlier story, 3rd May:

CAMPAIGNERS have promised "direct action" in a battle with Network Rail bosses over trees.

Protesters calling themselves Whitstable Tree Savers will meet the company tonight (Thursday) to try to persuade it to stop felling trees along the railway line – and have vowed to continue their fight if the meeting doesn't work.

Campaign spokeswoman Julie Wassmer, who lives in Cromwell Road, said: "There will be a massive protest – and I don't mean petitions. They will physically be obstructed from getting into the car park.

"Feelings are running so high about this it is unbelievable."  More

http://saveourwoods.co.uk/get-involved/local-campaigns/tree-savers-save-rail-side-trees/

http://twitter.com/#!/TreeSavers

http://saverailsidetrees.webs.com/

Spectre of Shell Reapers hangs over AGM

22nd May 2012

 

22nd May 2012

 

At today's Shell AGM link at the Barbican the suits on the Shell board were given a 3 hour grilling, with questioners focusing attention on its environmental and human rights crimes around the world. Spread throughout the auditorium hooded London Rising Tide & friends' grim Shell reapers, stood silently awaiting direction from the board toward their next appointment with Shell induced death and environmental destruction.  They stood motionless for almost an hour while Messrs Ollila and Vosser, Chairman & CEO, attempted to defend Shell's ravenous pursuit of profit above all else at the expense of : the pristine Arctic- where drilling and probably spilling will begin in the summer; the Canadian boreal forest-where Tar Sands "extraction" has increased by 100k barrels per day;  the once beautiful fish spawning grounds of the Niger Delta- now clogged with a "Deepwater Horizon's" worth of oil every year; and listened intently to Vosser spouting that so-called "ethical company status" was "very close to my heart and we are driving sustainability". 

We all know where its being driven.  Remember climate change?

Climate change may not be a fashionable subject these days, but it’s already claiming 300,000 lives a year. Glaciers are disappearing, sea levels are rising and extreme weather is becoming more extreme. As temperatures rise, we’ll see more flooding, drought, disease, famine and war, creating hundreds of millions of refugees  and destroying entire ecosystems and species.  We can’t  afford to forget about climate change – or the fact that companies like Shell are at the heart of the problem and a shift to Fossil Fuel Gas and land grabbing biofuels isn't helping!

Meanwhile outside, many more Shell Grim Reapers managed to gain entry into the lobby before being ejected by what one shareholder inside referred to as "over the top security". There they met with Occupy Shell Oil coffin bearers who had processed the corporate body of Shell from St.Pauls Cathedral to be laid to rest at the feet of a 6 degree Celsius global temperature rise this century. There among the shareholders, City cops and many private security and corporate spies, the Shell Reapers handed out leaflets to inform of impending Shell devastation.

A delegation from Indigenous peoples attended Shell’s main Annual General Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, they detailed the massive human and ecological rights violations and economic devastation that Shell's operations have brought to local communities. The tar sands development in  Alberta, Canada covers an area the size of England, with toxic lakes so huge they are visible from space, leaking poisons into the local water supply.  The effects that tar sands  are having on local First  Nations communities  are devastating. Not  only are indigenous  livelihoods and  futures being  destroyed, but  communities on land  where tar sands extraction has been imposed  are experiencing disturbingly  high rates of rare forms of cancer and auto-immune diseases.

Eriel Deranger, community member and spokesperson for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), Alberta – an Indigenous community residing downstream from tar sands operations and who are currently suing Shell for violating past agreements, stated:

“Tar sands extraction projects on our traditional lands are being approved at a pace that is both irresponsible and irreparably destructive. People in the community of Fort Chipewyan
are genuinely afraid. Our food and water sources are contaminated, resulting in a fear of eating traditional foods and eroding the continuation of our cultural and subsistence lifestyles. Yet Shell plans to aggressively expand its activities, doubling production. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is calling on Shell to meet its past agreements and halt expansion until our broader concerns about the cumulative impacts of tar sands operations are addressed.”

Ron Plain, from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario – which has been called ‘the most polluted place in North America’ by the National Geographic Society, and the ‘the most contaminated airshed in Canada’ by the World Health Organization due to its proximity to ‘Chemical Valley’ where Shell’s and other tar sands operators’ refineries are causing serious health and reproductive impacts – said:

“Aamjiwnaang is the first community in the world to experience birth ratios of 2 girls to 1 boy due to endocrine disruption from the pollution. This is the first step towards extinction. Shell have admitted that their current facility, which is located at the fenceline of Aamjiwnaang, ‘could not meet today’s environmental regulations or standards.’ But Shell’s proposal for a new facility within Aamjiwnaang territory was recently denied by Canada for a whole host of environmental, social and other reasons. The corporate response to that set-back was to build onto the antiquated facility the equipment needed to process more tar sands bitumen.”

Robert Thompson, Chairman of REDOIL and an Inupiat from Kaktovik, a village on the edge of the Arctic Ocean in Alaska, where Shell plans to drill offshore in Arctic waters this summer, said:

“Shell plans to drill in the Arctic this summer without the proven technology or infrastructure to deal with inevitable spills. They have not demonstrated the ability to clean up spills within or from under the ice or during storms. Our culture depends on a clean ocean, and we have subsisted in this region for 12,000 years. We oppose Shell’s plans that have the potential to destroy the culture of our people and will further push the planet into irreversible climate change.”

Ben Powless, a Mohawk from Six Nations in Ontario, representing the Indigenous Environmental Network, said:

“Not only have Shell reveled in being a climate criminal, they have also been exposed as fighting the European Union’s proposed Fuel Quality Directive, in collusion with the Canadian government. Their continued environmental destruction and violation of Indigenous rights across Canada, Alaska and Nigeria show that Shell needs to change their operations or face increasing protest and opposition across the world. Our organization is supporting an Indigenous-led campaign against Shell’s extreme energy projects to bring together frontline impacted communities.”

To find out more about the Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, see:http://ienearth.org/tarsands.html

 So, what else can we do about Shell in London?

Apart from street corner Petrol Garage blockades we can wage war on corporate branding. Join us to help kick Shell-out Sponsorship = buying us off .

 Shell's sponsorship acts as a greenwashed blindfold to prevent us seeing the  ravages of frontier oil extraction boundaries being pushed. When we challenge this, we strike a blow at Shell’s brand, chip away at its power and move towards the day when Big Oil – like Big Tobacco – is no longer seen as socially acceptable. As we once kicked the tobacco companies out of our cultural institutions we must now do the same to the oil industry.

London Rising Tide, c/o 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES;

tel: 07708 794665

 

Forests instead of Coal: Interviews with the occupiers of Hambach Forest.

Last week I went to North-West Germany to visit a new forest occupation currently taking place in the Hambach forest – the purpose of it? To stand directly in the way of the expansion of Europe’s largest open-cast coal mine. Through the construction of tree-houses and defences, by engaging with the local community and by bringing people and energy to the area, this new camp in the woods is the latest stand against the energy giant RWE (Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk), a company which plans to clear cut the area and gouge out the contents of the earth with some of the biggest death machines on the planet.

It is beautiful here. The forest is very old and peaceful and, at the moment, the leaf-carpeted floor is dotted with blue and green tents. The only noises filtering through the trees are the chattering of birds and the distant thud of an axe cutting wood by the fire pit. Up in the trees, platforms sway in a breeze carrying the tell-tale smell of wood smoke. People busy themselves with the day-to-day tasks of life here; chopping wood, coaxing the fire into life, finding a clean(ish) pot, boiling water, making tea, toasting bread, eating. People talk and make plans, somebody juggles, and the sun shines warmly on.

It’s interesting to me how similar these places are all over the world, how the communities of people you meet are so much like the friends you left at home. So, while I was staying at the camp, I decided to “interview” a few people and explore the parallels between this anti-coal forest occupation in Germany, and the anti-coal action camps that I have been involved in in Scotland [1]. I wanted to explore what it is that moves people to live in places like this and invest themselves so completely in this kind of action.

– J –

 

I spoke to J one evening around the camp fire when I could barely see my notebook by the light of my headtorch, let alone keep up with all the interesting things he had to say! J is involved in the WAA (Workshops for Action and Alternatives) [3] and has been part of the occupation from the beginning..

Why do you think this kind of occupation is important?

What makes this type of occupation particularly important and relevant to me is how the action to occupy this area was organised and how we continue to organise while we live here – that is, in a non-hierarchical and horizontal way. To not have to ask the politicians or RWE to change their politics or to change to green capitalism but to take matters into our own hands, is empowering. The way we organise here is an open structure so new people can join in with this way of living and organising and experience it for themselves.

I think it is already inspiring local people and lots of other forms of resistance. The local people here have in the past always been told to rely on the legal system for change. Big environmental NGO’s in this area have encouraged them to pursue this strategy, and because people place their trust in these organisations this is what they have done. However when the legal route fails local people (as it so often does) these NGO’s leave behind cynicism and resignation. So we want to show them an alternative strategy to this dead end. People come here and get inspired when they see that you can take matters into your own hands and do something to change the situation for yourself.

What brought you here?

I was inspired by the Frankfurt occupation [4] which was a forest occupation against airport expansion. At the time I was involved in the young greens which I had been involved with for two years. However, after we visited the Frankfurt occupation 14 of the 17 people in the young greens left to join the forest occupation and I’ve never looked back. To me, the green party is a great example of good active people giving their time and energy to something that ends up co-opting their original aims for change.

When you wake up in the morning what do you hope to find?

That there would be no people in this forest! We need forests just for themselves. I love living in the forest, but it’s a tactic. Actually just by being here at the moment we have stopped hunting because there is a law that you can’t hunt animals in a forest occupied by humans. Also, a lot of hunting platforms in this forest have mysteriously disappeared…

What would a success look like to you?

A visitor from Buir (the closest town to the mine) said she had the impression that we don’t have the attitude that this is a win or loose situation. Even if they cut down the trees here, destroy the forest, dig coal here – we have already won something. We are part of a big environmental and social justice movement and this action achieves a big change in and of itself. It’s a meeting point, an ideas sharing hub, new things are tried out here, different ways to interact are experimented with, and so people can learn a lot just by being here.

How do you think we could encourage more people to come and do this kind of thing?

If I observe why people come here I think it’s often because they have personal contacts. Or because they feel well here because it’s a nice atmosphere. They come here because it makes them feel good not just because they want to “save the world.” I really don’t like the perception that I’m here because I am an extremely moral person above others, who wants only to be selfless and “save the world.” I love it here and enjoy myself, that’s why I’m here! I would really like that good feeling to be passed on to others, particularly locals and people who don’t necessarily have dreadlocks or who are already in our “subculture.”

Involving other kinds of people in this kind of action also challenges us to challenge out own prejudice about so-called “normal people” and to get rid of our activist arrogance. We need all kinds of inputs, to see things from other perspectives. Often, people who are already active in the way that you and I are, are all young 20-somethings. A lot of people here clearly went through a process of questioning their last 20 years of social conditioning and arrived at conclusions that made them want to take direct action. But it’s harder to do this for the first time if you are older I think. It’s much much harder to analyse your assumptions about society at a later stage, because you’ve already committed to a certain life path for a long time. It’s easier to question the last 20 years of your life than the last 50 if you’ve only got a few left!

What’s your favourite thing about the forest?

I think the best thing about it is that I’m not so much in front of my computer, which is passive, here I am very active. Here the rhythm of the day with the changing light is amazing. It’s hard to say the fresh air (because there is so much dust here from the nearby coal mine) but it’s still fresher than some of the rooms where I live (in the WAA) I like the birds! A lot of different people visit, often really interesting people with lots of interesting ideas and ways of doing things and experience. The best is how much energy there is if there is space for people to be creative and to realise their ideas and if they don’t have to ask permission, but can just do it. Like here, so much has been organised in such a short space of time already (the camp has only been going since the 14th of April 2012) and lots has been built. I think people are more motivated when they don’t have a boss.

– Tina –

 

I spoke to Tina during a weekend gathering at the camp when a lot of people were visiting the occupation to participate in a community walk around the forest and eat cake that locals from Buir had brought to share with the occupiers. She had travelled from Cologne to visit the camp for a couple of days. We sat together under the kitchen tarpaulin to escape the rain and discuss some of her ideas..

What brought you here?

I am involved in a group called “AusgeCo2hlt” [5] which has been organising against brown coal for two years now. We organised a climate camp last year and got to know people from the WAA. Some people from the WAA came to one of our meetings and told us that they were planning to get a house and hadn’t decided where to get it yet and we suggested this area (Buir/Duren.) So we were involved in the forest festival here on the 14th of April and some of us keep coming back to stay involved.

Do you plan to live here permanently?

It depends on the situation. I haven’t decided in my mind yet. I’m not so good at climbing, so I’m coming and going at the moment.

Do you think it is important for more people to live here?

I think it can work if different groups of people come and go, like we are doing. For example a group can come and stay here one week and then go, and then another group can come and stay for a week etc. To take the decision to quit school or a job to live here is quite a big one. And if you do have these responsibilities you have to split your time. But there is a community of people living here (in the Hambach forest) and others elsewhere in Europe who are specialised in climbing and site occupation – I hope more of these people come here! Solidarity is important though and works quite well. Hopefully between June and September this year the core group living here at the moment will grow because then there are university holidays in Germany.

I’m not pessimistic, but the environmental scene in Germany is not that big. People are involved in a lot of other struggles. Many of which you need to be in a city or have computers to do, so if you choose to live here you have to make it your main focus. One of my main focuses is to work on press releases and try to make links between this and other campaigns.

What would a success here look like for you?

That RWE stops killing the forest for coal mining! But we have to measure success in other ways as well because we might not achieve that. This occupation is raising awareness of other issues to people, especially people in the local area, such as a critique of capitalism and the system. A success would also be if an eviction threat would get a lot of people to come here and act in solidarity. It would be cool if the regional media would start to talk about the issues here. And not just here but also in Cologne (nearest large city.) The message not just of the forest but about RWE, coal mining, and fossil fuel energy.

When we held the last climate camp in Manheim in 2011 200 people came. Last week we mobilised against RWE’s Annual General Meeting, but for this demo there were only 150 people. Forty people attempted to blockade the entrance but unfortunately 300 police, private security and dogs prevented us and several people were arrested. Next week we will discuss in a meeting why there were not very many (in our opinion) people coming to this demonstration – as we had expected more because there are not so many days like this organised around environmental issues in Germany. In the end we thought, ok it would have been cool if there had been lots more people, but actually it was also a success to raise awareness through this action.

We have to accept that we (the anti-coal movement) can only grow slowly. We try to learn from the anti-nuclear movement which took 20 – 30 years to become so established. So we need to be patient. But it’s hard because climate change is so urgent! During castor (anti-nuclear protests) they had 2000 people sitting on the railway line so the police couldn’t do much about it. We did the same action on a coal railway line and there were only 60 of us so in the end we had to leave. We need the people with us. We are afraid of repression in small numbers. But at the same time the repression here is nothing compared to (the struggle against coal mining) in Colombia so we need to remember this. And although we are a small group we have strong bonds between us, we really like each other. We make mistakes and are critical of our actions but we go forward!

– Clumsy –

 

I interviewed Clumsy on the stump of a tree in the area of clear cut, just a stones throw from the mine on one side and the camp site on the other. From our vantage point we could see the mine and the colossal baggers (coal diggers) churning coal from the earth in the distance. He has been living here from the beginning of the occupation..

Why are you here?

Because Jesus told me, only kidding, the reason is that this region is Europe’s climate killer number 1. I came here last year for the climate camp and saw all the destruction. I was just travelling around looking for somewhere where people are active and I always wanted to live on a tree protest site. At the climate camp people were talking about it but at the time there weren’t enough people, so I moved into the WAA and did research and made preparations to help make it happen.

Why did you always want to live on a tree protest site?

I like living outside, the simple life, the forest, climbing. Life free from the constraints of society – rent, work, school, paying for food. I think protest sites are really good examples of other ways of living.

So do you think that this kind of action is always about more than just one kind of oppression or issue?

Yeah definitely. Of course you always have the main focus – in this case open cast coal mining. But with stuff like safer spaces we also try to challenge other forms of oppression like racism and sexism. Every activity is open to people of all genders – anyone can climb or anyone can cook. Everyone participates in the daily chores. And it’s an example for other people. When I told my gran about places like this she couldn’t believe that men actually do the washing up and that women do construction work, or that we decide things by consensus. Whereas in society we get taught that there are typical ‘male’ and ‘female’ roles and men hold a very privileged position – it’s conditioning. Often people that come here are surprised that we don’t have leaders.

How do you think we could encourage more people to come and do this kind of thing?

It’s hard because living this kind of life – you can’t get a lot of stuff that we’re always told it’s nice to have – T.V, luxury items. As soon as people realise that material possessions don’t make them happy they might want to live like this. I guess by having this space and showing that this life can be satisfying and empowering people might want to do the same.

What brings happiness?

It’s different for everybody, but for me it’s having friends around and having a lot of time to do what I want. Doing stuff against the destructive RWE makes me happy. I always had the feeling I wanted to do something to change society. This works for me.

What’s your favourite thing about the forest?

A lot of stuff. It’s quiet, not the annoying sounds of the city. The air is nice, it’s green, the forest is full of cute animals – deer, foxes, mice.. I just like it because it is a big living thing, whereas cities are just big dead blocks of concrete and smelly stuff.

When you wake up in the morning what do you hope to find?

The opencast flooded and only the tops of the diggers visible! No air planes in the sky. My tree-house built! Do you mean what I really want? That’s a big question! Er.. I’d like to see all the oppressive stuff gone. It’s a hard question.. I’d like to see industrial civilisation collapse.

Anything you’d like to add?

To send an open invitation to anyone who would like to come and visit us and stay as long as possible!

– Erde –

Towards the end of speaking with clumsy, Erde emerged from the forest and came to sit with us in the clear cut. Erde was visiting the WAA just before the occupation took place and then liked the forest so much he ended up staying. A the moment he either lives in his lorry or up on his platform defence in the trees..

Why are you here?

Because doing nothing is giving up. For me personally, it wasn’t enough to do nothing. I heard of this occupation when I was visiting the WAA and I thought I will bring my skills and stay the weekend. But then I really liked the people and the place and the action and I’ve ended up staying.

Why do you think this occupation is important?

The first reason is because this forest is to be chopped next winter and I want to stop that. Second is that it is a very old forest and there is much more life in an old forest than a new one.

What were you doing before this?

Living without oppression is the way I have lived for the last 15 years. But the difference now, in a project, is that I’m not on my own. Before this I was a freelancer in a business and I was treated in another way and this is a totally different perspective. When I became unemployed I got re-interested in social and political issues. The wish to be with nature was first awakened in me in Hamburg squats after which I moved into my lorry.

How is it different to how you lived in the past?

Here I’m completely in nature and not in an office. I’m here with people who have an enhanced consciousness and sense of self-awareness and that is very interesting and challenging. I think we are trying to make another world here, in combination with the political aspect – and that’s a combination for optimum life quality!

What are the ingredients for optimum life quality?!

I tried working ‘slave jobs’ after university, I worked two and didn’t try a third. In the end I saw that money and material things don’t give me the good life that I am dreaming of. What are the essential ingredients of a good life? Peace, love, freedom, good food, music, colours, flavours, nature..

How do you think we could encourage more people to come and do this kind of thing?

I think if we want to build up a better world we have to reach anyone. We need to get people here to show them the good life, to experience this way of living. So they can see and feel it. They get an idea by coming here and experiencing a free, autonomous life. To be the owner of your time. To get away from wastes of time, like T.V.

When you wake up in the morning what do you hope to find?

Refer to my recipe for the good life! My desire is that people respect each other and look after each other, because if they do this then they wouldn’t destroy our basic life support system. What is creating the problems of the world and what needs to be destroyed? I’ve thought for a long time that I would like to make two placards, each with the words “capitalism” and “oppression” on them, so that when people ask me questions like yours I just have to hold one or the other up in answer!

What I would love to see is this coal mine totally surrounded by people, which since it is so big, would probably need at least 3,000 – 4,000 people! So please come and join us.

– Visit, Join In, Take Action –

If you want to visit the Hambach forest in Germany, it is easy to get to and you will always be welcome. Go for a day, a week, a month – any time you can give to it will be appreciated and there is lots to do and to get involved in. For directions to the forest visit their blog here: http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/

For myself, it was time (reluctantly) to leave Hambach and return to Scotland to re-join the anti-coal organising collective (Coal Action Scotland) I am involved with here. At the moment we are busy planning for an action camp against coal mining which is going to take place from the 12th – 18th of July 2012. So, once you have been to visit Hambach Forest it would be fantastic to see you here in Scotland to take action in the summer. For more information visit our website here: http://takebacktheland.org.uk/

Links and Sources of Information

[1] Coal Action Scotland

http://coalactionscotland.org.uk/

“News, views, and action from communities and campaigns against new coal in Scotland”

[2] Hambach Forest

http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/

News, info and directions to The Hambach Forest Occupation.

[3] The WAA

http://waa.blogsport.de/

WAA stands for “Workshops for Action and Alternatives” and is an open activist project in Duren.

[4] Forest Occupation Kelsterbach

http://waldbesetzung.blogsport.de/english-information/

Direct Action against the Frankfurt Airport Expansion, the camp was evicted in 2009.

[5] Ausgeco2hlt

http://www.ausgeco2hlt.de/

An anti-coal campaigning group organising climate camps in Germany.

 

Take the Flour Back! anti-GM wheat action 27 May – final details

‘Take the Flour Back’ will be a nice day out in the country, with picnics, music from Seize the Day and a decontamination. It’s for anyone who feels able to publically help remove this threat and those who want to show their support for them.

What to bring, action you should take before the 27th May, transport info and more info on the website – http://taketheflourback.org/

How to get there, OS map and photo of the new fence

Farm occupied in USA

29 April 2012

We are reclaiming this land to grow healthy food to meet the needs of local communities. We envision a future of food sovereignty, in which our East Bay communities make use of available land – occupying it where necessary – for sustainable agriculture to meet local needs.

http://takebackthetract.com/

29 April 2012

We are reclaiming this land to grow healthy food to meet the needs of local communities. We envision a future of food sovereignty, in which our East Bay communities make use of available land – occupying it where necessary – for sustainable agriculture to meet local needs.

http://takebackthetract.com/

OCCUPY OIL – THE SEQUEL

Taking place WORLDWIDE on Tuesday 22nd May 2012

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbXnBXoTzI

#OccupyOil the Sequel: The road to SHELL is paved with bad intentions…

Taking place WORLDWIDE on Tuesday 22nd May 2012

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbXnBXoTzI

#OccupyOil the Sequel: The road to SHELL is paved with bad intentions…

BLOODY MONEY: Tar Sands, Rossport, Niger Delta

On the 8th of Feb this year Occupy Oil held it first day of mass action.

Shell Stations across the UK and indeed further afield were blockaded or picketed. We are back and on the 22nd of May 2012 we are holding Occupy Oil the Sequel, Royal Dutch Shell will be holding their AGM in The Hague with an audio-visual link to a satellite meeting place in London.

We are calling on all occupiers, groups and individuals to come together and send a clear message to Shell.

NIGER DELTA

Shell Oil in the Niger Delta have done untold destruction, the oil giant's 2008 spills have wrecked livelihoods of 69,000 people and will take 30 years to clean up.

Guardian Article from 2011: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/10/shell-nigerian-oil-spills-amnesty

ROSSPORT, CO MAYO, IRELAND

The Oil giant continues to destroy the community of Rossport, Co Mayo Ireland. Read more about the Shell to Sea campaign at www.shelltosea.com

TAR SANDS, CANADA

Royal Dutch Shell is one of the largest players in tar sands, producing approximately 276 000 barrels per day or roughly 20% of total exports from Alberta. Shell has put forth applications to expand its capacity through new mines and in situ projects, to a projected 770 000 barrel per day capacity. However, strong community resistance to Shell has damaged their reputation with both shareholders and the public. Indeed, Shell has been named in five lawsuits related to tar sands developments and has faced shareholder resolutions demanding greater clarity over the risk of tar sands investments.

UK Tar Sands Network: www.no-tar-sands.org

It's time to make a stand. On 22nd of May 2012 we will occupy petrol stations across the GLOBE. We call on activists to organise yourselves into affinity groups and join this action world-wide. Make banners, get sound systems and pick targets. As the date approaches we can co-ordinate actions for maximum impact. Let's send another shot in our war against the global elites.

E-MAIL: info@occupyoil.co.uk
TWITTER: @OccupyOil, hashtag #OccupyOil
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/events/230582443683609
WEB: www.occupyoil.co.uk

Forest to be Coal Mined occupied in Germany

On Saturday the 14th of April, part of the Hambach forest near Cologne, Germany was squatted by a group of activists in opposition to the planned open cast coal mine by RWE. People are more than welcome to join in the campaign and visit.

For more information see: http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/

e-mail: hambacherforst@riseup.net

 

Here`s a 10min. video (sorry,no english subtitles yet)

 

This is the first declaration by the squatters:

First Declaration of the Hambach jungle

 

The Forest is now squatted!

A part of the Hambach forest has been squatted in order to save it from the excavators sent by the giantic energy corporation RWE to dig up the coal.
Alongside the "Waldfest", a cultural happening in the woods (with the slogan "Forest, not coal!"), activists have squatted the woodland, although both activities remain independent of each other.
At the „Waldfest“ people from different groups met up forming a broad coalition to get active in saving the Hambach Forest and stop the extraction as well as the production of energy from coal.
Hambach forest, near Cologne, is set to be completely destroyed, making space for the largest coal mine in Europe „Hambacher Tagebau“ according to the plans of RWE.

By squatting we are also taking over responsibility adopting our trees, protecting them our own way.

 

Why squatting?

We have decided to squat knowing that it is surpassing the small path of legal protest. Nevertheless two reasons lead us to this conclusion:

Firstly: The gap between what is legally allowed and what is regarded as justified by us is too big.
RWE is destroying local communities, as well as endangering peoples health  by destroying the forest in order to mine the brown coal, not to mention causing climate change, and they are legally allowed to do so.
Nonetheless we are not able to see any justification in their action.
By squatting this forest we're not acting legally according to current Laws, but the action is justified by the aim of trying to stop RWEs world destruction course.

Secondly: We believe that the gap between what is legal and what is just will always exist. Due to this simple fact, a neutral point of view cannot exist. Just and legal remain different because everybody themselves has their own opinion of what is just and what is not.
Therefore establishing free and lively forms of interaction, defining what is just and sensible, is a must; As opposed to having the definition derivated from ancient laws which, for the most part, are only protecting the interests of the ruling elites.
By squatting this land we're trying to generate a process of vivid negotiating, furthermore bringing attention to the topic of how climate and enviromental destruction shall be dealt with.
Loudly we're shouting „No!“ at anybody whose solution is to go on just like they used to, and who are -just like RWE- even speeding up the destruction by building a new coal plant!

If we are to be evicted by police force then we are facing the answer of a repressive state which is trying to subdue any horizontal and vivid process of self-organization. That is the ideolgy of the state as well as of the capitalist corporations who are far too inflexible, not to mention unable to give sensible answers to the topics of our time.
They will eventually perish just like the dinosaurs who were also unable to cope with the changing conditions. In fact the solution is not to modify the existing system of exploitation and supression into something more flexible, but to overcome that system!

 

Against coal energy – Here and Everywhere

This squat is opposing coal energy in general as it is the most CO2 intensive form of gaining energy. The „Rheinische BraunkohleRevier“ (Rhinanian Brown Coal Area) is Europe's climate killer no. 1. In contrast,most of the coal burnt here is shipped from other parts of the world e.g.Columbia where the extraction coincides with brutal human rights violations.
Worldwide the conflicts arising alongside coal extraction and burning are getting worse. Especially in Southeast Asia where in the last few years activists resisting coal extraction have been murdered.
We want to create an awareness of these struggles to help the people fighting.Therefore we'll include more information about the situation in theseareas in our further declarations, letting those activists speak.
Furthermore we declare our solidarity towards the radical anti-coal campaigns like the coal-action-network in the U.K., rising-tide-groups in Australia and North-America, or the „wij stoppen steenkool“ campaign in the Netherlands. With their direct form of action, these groups gave us inspiration, and we hope they will inspire other groups world-wide as well.

 

The woods for all!

Occupying the forest shall be an act for re-empowerment by the locals. The „Occupying Force“ RWE shall loose their „right“ of „directing“ over the region unscruplously destroying the local and global fundamentals of life.
People should decide what will happen to the forest in a cooperative manner instead. This space should be open to all on the basis of equal treatment of each other. Therefore it is necessary that the people in the forest question which role-models and ways of acting they reproduce, what structures of oppression and dominance exist directly and indirectly. We think that it is important that we all act together to fight, prevent and intervene in discrimination of any kind.

 

Space for preparing the change

Squatting the Hambach Forest is a direct action directly confronting the injustice of the coal industry. But we want to go on further: It'll also be a place for people of different backgrounds to meet up and network. People that used to have only the fight against coal expansion in common can now come together and exchange ideas and experiences of the ongoing struggle.
Through this we hope that people are enabled to network and organize – for further resistance and more.

We do need a place where people are able plan the climate-just future themselves.
Firstly: The current politics – they totally failed and keep on failing in answering the pressing matter of climate change!
Secondly: Organizing ourselves from below is much more fun!
Maybe this squat might become such a place. The offshoot of a new world amidst the heart of fossil-nuclear capitalism.

 

Why „declarations out of the Hambach jungle?

The name of this text came up following the tradition of the Zapatistas in Mexico and their „Declarations of the lacandon jungle“. The Zapatistas achieved their aim of living in dignity in the borders of the poorest Mexican state through a strong direct and determined push back of the repressive police and para-military Mexicos.
We are not claiming our action to be comparable to the things that happened in Mexico but nevertheless our aim is the same. Fighting for a self-determinated life in dignity inmidst a system of destruction and oppression.
We believe that successful stuggles like in Chaipas are possible all over the world and necessary. We want to make the first steps in this direction.

The form of a declaration was also chosen because we are tired of corrupting and shortening the contents only to make them fit into a standard press format, after which they're still totally corrupted by the press.
Instead we're optimistic that this and the following declarations will reach -hopefully a lot of- people directly.

We call the woods the forest Hambach jungle knowing that this terminology is incorrect.
But Hambach Jungle is, in its structure, one of the oldest forests in Western Europe. Rare habitats are found here. Unlike RWE, who wish to destroy the forest in total, we pledge another solution, an experiment whereby the natural forest will, in a few decades, turn into jungle-like wood.
Then, we would leave the Hambach Jungle deliberately!

Actioncamp Foz da Tua (Portugal)

We are reaching the critical stage to stop one of the biggest atrocities committed in one of the most beautiful rivers in Portugal.

We are reaching the critical stage to stop one of the biggest atrocities committed in one of the most beautiful rivers in Portugal. This is a struggle spanning several years already, although all the effort made to preserve the Tua River Valley, it’s natural and cultural wealth, has been contradicted by the political and economical forces organized to expropriate us from a universal common good.

Construction work for the dam has already started! The Tua river valley is encompassed within the Alto Douro Vinhateiro Region – a World Heritage Site that  celebrated 10 years of UNESCO classification last December – and is now under the threat of being completely destroyed. We must act. We must work together to preserve a Heritage that is all of ours.

The building of the Tua valley dam is part of the National Dam Plan, an energy strategy created by the last government proposing building 10 news dams of high hydroelectric potential. Most civil society organizations protested against this, since it defines the biggest environmental assault being committed in the country. In spite of all the effort invested by these organizations, the economic interests that drive the companies involved have overcome all the legal challenges set in their course.

We need all the help we can get to stop the Foz-Tua dam. So then we make an Open Call for a wide mobilization of people and organizations to protect and valorize the World Heritage and the Sustainable Development of the People.

The 14 of March celebrates the International Day of Action for Rivers. The rivers Tua, Sabor, Tâmega and all the threatened rivers must not be forgotten. We want to mark this date with an event where our voice will be heard. From the 10 to the 18 of March 2012 we will organize a camp for the preservation of the Tua Valley and the public censorship of the proponents of this deadly project.

This camp seeks to bend over this historical moment for the region, when it’s on the brink of loosing the potential for grounded development, and share the reality and culture of a community living in communion with the river valley for so long. Simultaneously the camp will be a place for networking, skill sharing and debating environmental, social and political ideas and concerns. It will also be a platform for protest, alongside the people and places most directly affected, to call for the immediate suspension of the building work. We cannot allow the construction of this dam to condemn the Tua River Valley region with loosing the World Heritage status, the flooding of the 125 year old train line, so we walk against the building of the EDP dam.

The Camp
 

The camp is being organized by a constellation of volunteers. We need all the help from associations and individuals that wish to participate in the organization of this camp. This is a self-organized camp and we ask for everyone to organize actions and materials for the Tua, against the dam. Support could take several forms:

  • broadcasting campaign material, invitations, other information;
  • organizing collective transportation to Trás-os-Montes;
  • collecting materials such as tents/marquees/wooden structures/composting toilets/cooking equipment//paints;
  • getting involved in planning meetings/proposing workshops;
  • helping in the kitchen staff, searching for local food suppliers and and preparing everyday meals
  • contributing with donations;

 
The impacts that the dam will cause are numerous and irreversible. Here are some:

  • the drowning of a historic train line of local populations, the only transport suitable for people and goods in this region, that has also enormous turistic potential and is therefore instrumental for economic and social development;
  • the forfeiting of a common asset at a huge capital cost with zero total gain;
  • the irreversible destruction of farm land, ecosystem balance, natural and human landscapes, social, ecological and economical sustainability;
  • the loosing of the UNESCO World Heritage Site classification (see ICOMOS report on EDP dam impacts on UNESCO World Heritage);
  • the unmeasurable loss of visitor flux and wealth generation for the region;
  • the violation of the Water Quality Directive, an action plan by the European Union to ensure water protection.

 

All hands are welcome! Let’s not allow the Tua River Valley to flood!
Actua Camp, 10 to 18 March 2012, Foz-Tua, Trás-os-Montes

Actua pelo Tua Art Contest // Use Your Art // every art form accepted
Exhibition // 14 March Foz-Tua // On going call out for entries

Contact: acampamentoactua@gmail.com

 
Info: http://acampamentoactua.wordpress.com/english/

Quebec Police Dismantle Innu Blockade Against Controversial Hydro Complex

March 11, 2012

Quebec provincial police went on the march last Friday to dismantle a blockade that a group of Innu citizens erected to protest the construction of hydro transmission lines through their traditional territory.

March 11, 2012

Quebec provincial police went on the march last Friday to dismantle a blockade that a group of Innu citizens erected to protest the construction of hydro transmission lines through their traditional territory.

According to available reports, no one was arrested during the court-backed offensive, which the Innu passively tried to resist. However, a total of thirteen people were arrested, including ten women.

The blockade/checkpoint went up went up on March 5 after Innu representatives walked away from negotiations with Hydro-Québec over the proposed La Romaine Hydroelectric Complex.

The $6.5 billion project includes four new hydro dams that would ultimately provide electricity for various industrial projects including mines and aluminum refineries as part of the Plan Nord, "the Quebéc government's plan to ravage northern Québec, with many ecologically devastating projects slated for development on Innu territory, or Nitassinan, without the consent of the Innu people," comments Collectif solidaire anti-colonial / Anti-Colonial Solidarity Collective.

The project was approved by Quebec's environmental assessment board more than two years ago. However, the Innu communities of Uashat and Maliotenam have continuously challenged that decision because, the Innu say that the board failed to consider how the transmission lines for the project would affect their lands.

Speaking from the blockade, Michael MacKenzie, vice-Chef at Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-Utenam commented, Everything is peaceful. There’s no aggression from our side. What we’re doing today is legitimate and this is what it’s come to. Our rights have been trampled.”

“We had the Arab Spring, I think we’re now seeing an Innu Spring,” added Christopher Scott, a spokesperson from the Alliance Romaine, who has been supporting the Innu.

Clearly, Hydro-Québec didn't think much of that. Soon after the blockade settled in, the Crown corporation ran to the Superior Court complaining of losses amounting to more than $1/2 million for every day that the blockade remained in place. It also spiced things up by alleging that it would have to shut down any ongoing work on Friday, unless the blockade was dismantled.

On Friday afternoon, the Superior Court granted Hydro-Québec a temporary injunction. The Sureté du Québec made their move later that night.

Video

The injunction will be in effect until March 19, 2012, at which time the matter will be discussed in court.

For those in the Montreal Area, the Anti-Colonial Solidarity Collective is organizing a protest for Monday March 12 to "Demonstrate our solidarity in the face of legal harassment by Hydro-Québec and the arrogance of the Québec state.