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Nearly a thousand environmental activists murdered since 2002

April 15, 2014 At least 908 people were murdered for taking a stand to defend the environment betwe

April 15, 2014 At least 908 people were murdered for taking a stand to defend the environment between 2002 and 2013, according to a new report today from Global Witness, which shows a dramatic uptick in the murder rate during the past four years. Notably, the report appears on the same day that another NGO, Survival International, released a video of a gunman terrorizing a Guarani indigenous community in Brazil, which has recently resettled on land taken from them by ranchers decades ago. According to the report, nearly half of the murders over the last decade occurred in Brazil—448 in all—and over two-thirds—661—involved land conflict.

"There can be few starker or more obvious symptoms of the global environmental crisis than a dramatic upturn in killings of ordinary people defending rights to their land or environment," said Oliver Courtney of Global Witness. "Yet this rapidly worsening problem is going largely unnoticed, and those responsible almost always get away with it. We hope our findings will act as the wake-up call that national governments and the international community clearly need."

But as grisly as the report is, it's likely a major underestimation of the issue. The report covers just 35 countries where violence against environmental activists remains an issue, but leaves out a number of major countries where environmental-related murders are likely occurring but with scant reporting.

"Because of the live, under-recognized nature of this problem, an exhaustive global analysis of the situation is not possible," reads the report. "For example, African countries such as Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe that are enduring resource-fueled unrest are highly likely to be affected, but information is almost impossible to gain without detailed field investigations."

In fact, reports of hundreds of additional killings in countries like Ethiopia, Myanmar, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe were left out due to lack of rigorous information.

Even without these countries included, the number of environmental activists killed nearly approaches the number of journalists murdered during the same period—913—an issue that gets much more press. Environmental activists most at risk are people fighting specific industries.

"Many of those facing threats are ordinary people opposing land grabs, mining operations and the industrial timber trade, often forced from their homes and severely threatened by environmental devastation," reads the report. "Indigenous communities are particularly hard hit. In many cases, their land rights are not recognized by law or in practice, leaving them open to exploitation by powerful economic interests who brand them as 'anti-development'."

As if to highlight these points, Survival International released a video today that the groups says shows a gunman firing at the Pyelito Kuê community of Guarani indigenous people. The incident injured one woman, according to the group. The Guarani have been campaigning for decades to have land returned to them that has been taken by ranchers.

"This video gives a brief glimpse of what the Guarani endure month after month—harassment, intimidation, and sometimes murder, just for trying to live in peace on tiny fractions of the ancestral land that was once stolen from them," the director of Survival International, Stephen Corry, said. "Is it too much to expect the Brazilian authorities, given the billions they're spending on the World Cup, to sort this problem out once and for all, rather than let the Indians' misery continue?"

According to the report, two major drivers of repeated violence against environmental activists are a lack of attention to the issue and widespread impunity for perpetrators. In fact, Global Witness found that only ten people have been convicted for the 908 murders documented in the report, meaning a conviction rate of just 1.1 percent to date.

"Environmental human rights defenders work to ensure that we live in an environment that enables us to enjoy our basic rights, including rights to life and health," John Knox, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment said. "The international community must do more to protect them from the violence and harassment they face as a result."

Rebels raid mining firm in Southern Philippines and torch heavy equipment

April 5 2014 New People’s Army rebels on Saturday raided a mining firm in the southern Philippine province of Agusan del Norte, reports said.

Reports said the rebels swooped down on Philippine Alstron Mining Company on the village of Tamamarkay in Tubay town and overpowered the security guards without firing a single shot before they torched several trucks and other heavy equipment.

The rebels also seized at least 6 shot guns and short firearms from the company’s security arsenal. There were no reports of casualties.

The raid came following threats made by the NPA on mining firms operating in the southern Philippines.

Just last month, rebel forces attacked a police base and government troops in Davao del Sur’s Matanao as punishment for their “reign of terror” against indigenous tribes and other communities opposing mining operations in the province.

Dencio Madrigal, a spokesman for the NPA-Valentine Palamine Command, said the deadly attacks were a punishment for police and military units protecting Glencore Xstrata. He accused the mining firm of exploiting nearly 100,000 hectares of ancestral lands of indigenous Lumad Blaans tribes, and peasants in the region.

Jorge Madlos, a regional rebel spokesman, also warned mining firms and fruit plantations in the region, saying military operations in Mindanao have escalated and have become more extensive with the aim to thwart the ever growing and widespread people’s protest against destructive mining operations and plantations.

Madlos said among their targets are Russell Mines and Minerals, Apex Mining Corp. and Philco in southern Mindanao; Dolefil, Del Monte and Sumifru plantations in northern Mindanao; TVI Resource Development Philippines in western Mindanao whose operations inside the ancestral domain of indigenous Subanen and Moro tribes are being opposed by villagers.

NPA and Moro rebels had previously attacked TVI Resources in Zamboanga province.

“If one recalls, more than 400 families were forced to evacuate their ancestral lands because of TVI and the ruthless military operations that ensued to protect it in Buug, Zamboanga del Sur. In order to defend the people’s human rights and general wellbeing, the NPA launched tactical offensives against TVI as well as against units of the AFP-PNP-CAFGU protecting it, such as the ambush on February 2012 that hit elements of the army intelligence group operating on the behest of TVI and the imposition of the local government to allow TVI mining operations on Subanen ancestral lands is one of the bases the NPA raided on April 9, 2012 the PNP station in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur,” Madlos said.

NPA rebels also intercepted a group of army soldiers who were using a borrowed truck from TVI and disarmed them in Diplahan town in Zamboanga Sibugay province two years ago. The rebels also burned the truck before releasing the soldiers.

“In view of these events, the NDFP in Mindanao calls upon the Lumad and Moro peoples, peasants and workers, religious and other sectors to further strengthen their unity and their courage to oppose the interests of imperialist mines and plantations, which are exceedingly damaging to Mindanao, to its people and to the environment. We call upon the units of the NPA in Mindanao to be ever more daring in their defense of people’s interests against the greed and rapacity of the local ruling classes and their imperialist master,” Madlos said.

TVI Resource Development Philippines has repeatedly denied all accusations against them. It recently ended its gold mining operation in Mount Canatuan in Zamboanga del Norte’s Siocon town after several years of operations and now has a gold-silver project in the town of Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur province and a nickel plant in Agusan del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner)

DART ENERGY has started work for CBM exploration in Sutton Cum Lound

DART ENERGY have begun work preparing the site at Sutton Cum Lound, the road is dug up and fences are to be erected any day now. The local community is working really hard to oppose the plans and need all the help they can get. There is a campaign info point nearby for anyone that wants to visit or help out there. Volunteers are needed for researching, contacting councils and local groups, farmers and businesses and for flyering in Retford this Sat 29th Feb. There is a public meeting in Retford on March 19th at the Well 7pm. DART is also looking to exploit South Yorkshire and has already caused alot of damage in Scotland and many other parts of the earth. http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/local/sutton-cum-lound-protestors-unite-against-energy-firm-s-drilling-plans-1-6460799

Two-year long Moroccan Occupation of Silver Mine

An activist with the Berber flag. Protesters have occupied a hilltop above a silver mine for more than two years.

A Jan. 23 profile in the New York Times put a rare spotlight on the ongoing occupation camp established by Berber villagers at Mount Alebban, 5,000 feet high in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to protest the operations of the Imiter Mettalurgic Mining Company—whose principal owner is the North African nation’s King Mohammed VI.

The occupation was first launched in 1996, but broken up by the authorities. It was revived in the summer of 2011, after students from the local village of Imider, who were used to getting seasonal jobs at the mine, were turned down. That led the villagers—even those with jobs at the complex—to again establish a permanent encampment blocking access to the site of Africa’s most productive silver mine.

A key grievance is the mine’s use of local water sources, which is making agriculture in the arid region increasingly untenable. Protesters closed a pipe valve, cutting off the water supply to the mine. Since then, the mine’s output has plummeted—40% in 2012 and a further 30% in 2013. But Imider farmers say their long-drying wells are starting to replenish, and their shriveled orchards are again starting to bear fruit.

In addition to protection of local waters, villagers are demanding that 75% of the jobs at the mine be allocated to their municipality. But more general demands for Berber cultural rights and dignity also animate the protest, with the Berber flag flying above the encampment.

A 2011 constitutional reform, the fruit of a protest movement inspired by those across the Arab world, granted greater cultural rights to the Berbers who (by language) constitute nearly half Morocco’s population. But the Berbers remain disproportionately affected by poverty and marginalization. The area around Mount Alebban is among the poorest zones of Morocco.

The Imider protesters say they are willing to talk, but neither the government nor the mining company have come to the table, apparently opting for a strategy of waiting the movement out. (Ethical Consumer, Jan. 28; Yabiladi, Jan. 27; Reuters, Feb. 20, 2012)

Earth First! Direct Action Manual Is Ready for Print

Earth First! Direct Action Manual. To support this publication, preorder your copy or donate today.

After several years in development, the Earth First! Direct Action Manual is ready to go to press. A group of frontline activists has assembled over 300 pages of diagrams, descriptions of techniques and a comprehensive overview of the role direct action plays in our campaigns in defense of the Earth.

We are now in a three-week fundraising campaign to ensure that this critical book gets out to people who can use it. You can preorder your copy and get some extra thank you gifts for your early endorsement by donating today. More importantly, though, we have offered a chance for you to help us spread this knowledge. Every donation over $50 gives you the chance to send a free copy of the manual to a campaign of your choice. The more you give, the more manuals we can put in the mail.

The manual will be printed in the coming month with longtime Earth First! partner, The Gloo Factory. This community-minded, union print shop has supplied Earth First! and its affiliates with stickers and merchandise for decades and remains committed to using a high standard for recycled and reclaimed material, as well as supportive worker conditions.

The manual was first printed nearly two decades ago and has been out of print since its initial dissemination. Though many of the considerations for civil disobedience and intervention have remained tried and true, new elements have altered the ways we put these tactics into action. The Earth First! Direct Action Manual will continue the role of safe and effective actions in stopping the destruction of the planet.

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Brazil: Munduruku People Kick Miners Off Indigenous Territory, Seize Equipment

Translated from Portuguese by Thomas Walker / Earth First! Newswire

Threatened by Death, Muduruku Expel Miners from their territories, West of Para.

Under threat of death, Muduruku expel miners from their territories, west of Para.

Night had hardly arrived when indigenous Munduruku people landed on the bank of a mine on Tropas River, a tributary of Tapajós river, in a region west of Pará. From the five speedboats, all of them full, came warriors and children, all with one objective: to drive out illegal miners from Munduruku land.

Right at the entrance of the shed, the indigenous encountered two of the twelve miners present. Painted for war, the Munduruku held strong.

“You have ten minutes to get out. Get your things, go away, and don’t come back. This is the land of the Munduruku,” ordered Paigomuyatpu, chief of the warriors, while the miners were packing their bags and preparing to abandon the area.

According to the workers in the mine, the four pairs of dredges, used for the extraction of gold, belonged to Alexandre Martins.

Known as Tubaína, Martins is also owner of at least two more mines in the region, and left the site three days before the operation, exactly when the Munduruku started the survey in the Tapajós basin.

“He (Tubaína) said that he was going there to another of his posts. He isn’t there, and he isn’t here. No one knows,” confirmed Mara Almeida, who cooked in the posts for the miners in Tubaína. The action came after numerous complaints filed with government agencies. Ozimar Dace, Munduruku member of the movement and reporter of the operation, said that the indigenous have already tried to kick out the pariwat (who are not indigenous) by way of the Brazilian Environmental Institute (Ibama), Institute Chico Mendes of Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and National Foundation of the Indigenous (Funai).

“The people decided that these authorities would never give results to us. They are never going to do this so that we can live in peace. They gave the deadline for when they would give results, but this never happened. So, for these reasons, we decided to resolve the issue by our own account.”

The illegal exploration of the mine inside the indigenous land of the Munduruku is not new. Accounts trace the start of these activities to the 1980s. One story of threats, agreements with a small group of leaders, and exploitation of indigenous labor weave a web that does not benefit the majority of people.

According to local communities, the miners have caused various problems in the indigenous lands due to uncontrolled exploitation. Pollution of the river, lack of fish, misunderstandings, and threats are the main reasons cited for the indigenous actions. For these reasons, the indigenous were “expelling miners and taking their machines,” explains Paigomuyatpu, chief of the Munduruku warriors.

“The miners already made too many damages in our territory. We are evicting problems, sickness, and many other things that are happening. We are evicting this for our future generation,” he added.

The surveillance started on January 15, lasted almost twenty days, and passed through various tributaries of the Tapajós river basin, such as Tropas river, Kaburuá river, Kadiriri river, and Kabitutu river. In all, the Munduruku confiscated twelve dredges. They will remain in the villages for a month while the indigenous decide what they will do.

“In relation to the mines, they will stay put. After a month passes and we decide what we are going to do with machines: if we are going to do projects to benefit the communities in the area where there are already machines. But we need alternative projects to generate funds for the community, like fish farming, flour production, nut extraction, copal and honey. We need the support of FUNAI,” Paigomuyatpu said.

Pressed by the Munduruku, the FUNAI supported the autonomous action of the indigenous, financing fuel for the boats.

“It was one of their demands, it came from pressure. They wanted this to happen in any form they could. We think that taking their own initiative is even better, so that they can understand themselves with their relatives and decide that they are not going to permit the entry of the miners anymore,” commented Julian Araujo, from the coordination of the FUNAI of Itaituba.

According to Juliana, since she arrived in the region in 2010, FUNAI has received complaints from the Munduruku on illegal mining on indigenous land. In October of last year, the complaints were reiterated and forwarded to ICMBio and the Federal Police. In 2012, an operation against the miners had only a provisional effect because the miners returned. Because of this, it was suggested that FUNAI work towards awareness within the manage plant.

“It’s not enough to just do the operation and afterwards other indigenous people authorize the entrance of miners. We resolved to take a little more care with this. As much as ICMBio, we have personal difficulties. There is one person that is responsible for a number of units when we are monitoring [the area], so we will try calling volunteers from other places because the local volunteers end up being targeted by the miners.”

The climate is tense in the region. Communicating by radio, the leaders discovered that they are being followed. There is a list with at least five names of indigenous leaders marked for death. The author of the threats could be Tubaína. According to a Munduruku, he commands a group of gunmen with automatic weapons.

“Tubaína is feared in the region and walks with a rifle in his right hand through the village. No one says anything. I said, ‘Hey, inside indigenous territory, only the Federal Police and FUNAI are authorized to be armed,’” Valmar Kaba related. Beyond the leaders, Tubaína has allegedly threatened the chief of the village surveillance station, Oswaldo Waro, and his son, Joao Waro. In the last nineteen days, the two closed the village airstrip with sticks and stones in order to make sure that the miners leave with the seized machines.

“Tubaína passed the radio to the chief and said that when Oswaldo went to work, in the Bananal, Tubaína would catch him and his kid,” said Leuza Kaba, an indigenous woman. One of the workers expelled by the Mundruku, known as Shorty, informed that the miners of Humaita and from 180 kilometers across the Tranamazonica (Trans Amazon Highway) would be planning to go to Tapajós and to “work things out” with the indigenous people. Shorty did not reveal his true name. He is frank and soft-spoken. At a bar table, Shorty said that he became a miner 14 years ago, when his partner left him.

“I’ve only been here in the region for six years. The people tell a lot of lies about the miners. They talk a lot about Tubaína, but he is a good person and helps everybody,” he said.

He left saying that he is still going to return to get the gold from the indigenous area. Some acquaintances said that Shorty got out of prison two months ago. He was imprisoned for killing a man with a knife in a mining village near Caton, within the indigenous area.

“And he killed another with a .20 bullet, right here, on this road,” said one of his acquaintances. The reporter was not able to contact Tubaína. On Friday, (January 31^,2014), indigenous leaders in the Jacareacanga delegation registered a police report denouncing the threats of the mine owner and reported the situation to federal prosecutors.

Letter

In a letter, the indigenous say they do not have fear of death and that they will continue fighting for their rights.

Carta VI—Letter of the Munduruku Ipereg Ayu Movement

We, chiefs, leaders, and warriors, came across to greet you, ladies and gentlemen—those who support our movement Munduruku Ipereg Ayu.

We, warriors, did our surveillance of our territory. We took out and expelled the invading miners from our territory and we seized their machines. Now they are threatening us with death, but we are not intimidated.

This is the first step. We are going to defend our territory, our river, our forest, our riches, and our people until the end. This is our word.

We finish this letter with much peace and friendship. Sawe! Sawe! Sawe!

Sincerely,

Munduruku Apereg Ayu Movement

Carocal Village, Tropas River,

In the Municipality of Jacareacanga, West of Para.

Eleven Arrested Protesting Monsanto Shareholder Meeting

30/1/14

Dozens of protestors from around the globe rallied against Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, on Tuesday urging its shareholders to consider the risks of growing and consuming genetically modified crops.

Protestors, with signs in hand, converged at the Monsanto headquarters in suburban St. Louis, MO during the company’s annual investors meeting in support of two shareholder resolutions that questioned the level of contamination passed onto non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) crops and requested the seed giant end its fight against mandatory labels on foods containing GMO ingredients, reports Reuters.

The resolutions failed by considerable margins and 11 protestors were arrested after attempting to disrupt traffic near the Monsanto gates.

“Right now there’s a growing movement to label genetically modified food,” said Dave Murphy, executive director of Food Democracy Now!, who presented the labeling proposal at Tuesday’s shareholder meeting “Monsanto has chosen unfortunately to resist the rights of American people.”

Over the last two years, Monsanto has spent more than $13.4 million to defeat GMO labeling efforts in California and Washington state, said Murphy.

Shareholder Adam Eidinger introduced the labeling resolution, hoping to get at least 7 percent of investors to support it, but wound up with just 4 percent, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The second resolution, introduced by shareholder John Harrington, focused on Monsanto’s potential liability to organic farmers. It received just 6.5 percent support from investors.

Live audio of the shareholder meeting, which was broadcast for the first time on the internet, also attracted Monsanto supporters, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Justin Danhof, general counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research, told WSJ.com the protest was a “campaign of junk science” against biotech foods. Danhof insisted Monsanto combat the environmentalist outcry by enlisting its scientists as spokespeople on talk radio and other media to create an open conversation with the public.

According to Reuters, the protest resolutions were backed by environmental, food safety and consumer activist groups. Protestors said that 2.6 million members of those groups support the anti-GMO initiative.

“It’s time that Monsanto join the 21st century and allow Americans the basic right to know what’s in their food, something that’s already done in 64 other countries around the world. Why not America?” said Murphy.

Australia: Anti-mining Blockade at Maules Creek Steps It Up a Notch

Maules Creek mining site protest. Photo credit: Leard Forest Alliance

28.01.14 – More than 100 protesters have blocked access for work crews in the Leard State Forest as the campaign to block construction of the Maules Creek open-cut coal mine expands.

Workers from Whitehaven Coal, the developer of the planned mine in northern NSW, were turned away early on Tuesday, said Georgina Woods, spokeswoman for the Leard Forest Alliance. Machinery is tied up at three sites and four access roads are blocked, she said.

“We’re basically digging in to stop them from using the machines to clear the forest,” said Ms Woods. “It’s not going to end until this forest gets a reprieve.”

Police have arrested at least 10 protesters since the main blockade began about two weeks ago. One protester has been arrested on Tuesday as police move in on campaigners attached to several structures on the work site.

The campaigners want federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to revoke approval to clear the forest for coal mining.

Police and the Rural Fire Service this month succeeded in having the Leard forest declared closed to the public until March 31 by the Forestry Corporation of NSW because of fire risks. The move sparked complaints by environmental groups and a firefighters’ union.

Council eviction vote

A separate move by the Narrabri Council to evict the protesters from crown land under their control will now proceed after after several councillors had lodged an objection to the move. The council brought forward a vote on the eviction from February 4 and passed the eviction order on Tuesday afternoon.

“There’s a prediction that there’s very hot weather on the way,” said Bevan O’Regan, one of the councillors who halted the original council move, detailing the reason given for the early vote.

Mr O’Regan said the council’s general manager may not proceed to issue fines for those who refuse to move on from crown land.

“The question is now whether they will start evicting, or is it a bluff?,” said Mr O’Regan. “We’ll soon find out,” he said, adding that the protestors may not move their camps back into the forest.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a maximum of 35 degrees on Tuesday and then six days ranging from 37 to 40 degrees.

Among people risking arrest on Tuesday is Bill Ryan, a legally blind 91-year old Kokoda veteran, who is taking part with his 65-year old son, campaigners said.

“This blockade has given our community hope that we are not just the collateral damage of the coal industry,” said Maules Creek resident Roslyn Druce in a statement “(It) is doing the job the government should have done, protecting an irreplaceable forest.”

Anti-Highway Protester Faces Eight Year Sentence

January 22nd From June 20^th to July 1^st, locally well-known journalist and activist Will Parrish lived 50 feet above ground in a wick drain &l

January 22nd From June 20^th to July 1^st, locally well-known journalist and activist Will Parrish lived 50 feet above ground in a wick drain “stitcher” in the northern Little Lake Valley (ie, Willits Valley) wetlands, where the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is building an unnecessary and environmentally destructive freeway bypass.

By putting his body inside the framework of this destructive equipment, which is in the process of installing roughly 55,000 80-foot drainage tubes into the Little Lake wetlands, Will blocked it from operating and brought nationwide attention to the harm CalTrans is causing the Little Lake Valley watershed. This harm includes destroying the largest Northern California wetlands area of any project in over 50 years.

As punishment for Will’s more than 11 day stand on behalf of the Valley’s land and people, Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster is charging him with 16 misdemeanors (14 counts of “unlawful entry” and two of “resisting arrest”), with a maximum eight-year jail sentence. He also wants Will to pay Caltrans a mind-boggling $490,002 in restitution. This is an unheard of move by a district attorney in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, which each have a rich tradition of struggle for social justice and the natural environment. If the DA and Caltrans have their way, Will would spend the rest of his life paying off these absurd penalties.

About The Case

When Mendocino County DA David Eyster first filed a complaint against Will on July 2^nd, the charges consisted of three infractions corresponding to each of Will’s three non-violent arrests protesting the Bypass. This complaint included a requirement to pay undisclosed restitution fees.

Under an infraction, the defendant’s case is presided over by a judge rather than a jury. Will was unwilling to accept the uncapped restitution stipulation and was also adamant about his right to receive a jury trial, so his attorney (Omar Figueroa of Sebastopol) asked that Eyster re-file the charges as misdemeanors. Will understood and accepted that the infractions would become misdemeanors, and would include the possibility of jail time, but was not prepared for Eyster’s arbitrary decision to add thirteen additional counts for misdemeanor violations.

Notably, Will already endured a form of house arrest in the wick drain stitcher and was deprived of food, water and medical attention by the CHP (at the behest of CalTrans). The CHP even arrested six people who attempted to bring him supplies. Will went for almost six days with no food, survived partially on rain water, and was bitterly cold after being drenched by more than two days of unseasonal rain.

Why Will Is Pursuing a Jury Trial

This part of the case bears repeating. There is a common misconception that Will is seeking a jury trial because he wants to leverage his case for maximum publicity. This claim has been repeated in numerous media accounts of the case. But it is largely untrue. While Will is indeed interested in maximum publicity for his case, he is exercising his Constitutional right to a jury trial primarily because of DA Eyster’s draconian insistence that he pay criminal restitution to Caltrans.

Will believes a jury trial provides the best opportunity for him to oppose the criminal restitution stipulation.

Will adamantly opposes this harsh criminalization of environmental activism on principal, particularly when the real criminals in this case are those who preside over Caltrans’ Willits Bypass construction. Criminal restitution has not been pursued against direct action protesters in Northern California in recent memory. Thus, the imposition of restitution would also have a chilling effect against future activism. Besides not wanting to be in a position of paying off Caltrans for the rest of his life, Will is dead set against seeing people who stand on their rights to defend the earth from illegal plunder be persecuted for it. He is willing to risk a jail sentence to oppose this dangerous precedent.

HUNTING TOWERS TOPPLED, BURNED AND BLOWN UP

January 20, 2014 – Germany The following is a summary of recent incidents in Germany reported on the Anti-Hunting Blog (animal rights activists may not be responsible for all of these incidents):

– A hunting seat/tower was destroyed by fire in Hettenshausen (Bavaria) on January 18.

– According to news reports, between January 6-7 a hunting tower at the edge of a nature reserve near Salem (Schleswig-Holstein) was knocked over. Two other hunting towers in the same area were damaged in November and December. Police blamed "Militant hunting opponents."

– In early January, two hunting towers were demolished near Hagen (North Rhine-Westphalia). Local police speculated that animal rights activists were responsible.

– On December 24, a hunting tower was set on fire near the city of Hildesheim (Lower Saxony).

– Police are investigating an explosion that completely destroyed a hunting tower in Pollhagen (Lower Saxony) in mid-December. The exact cause of the blast has not been determined.

– Late on December 14 a hunting tower was damaged by an explosion in Samern (Lower Saxony). photo: gn-online.de

– On November 14, the inside of a hunting tower in Duderstadt (Lower Saxony) was soaked with butyric acid, making it unusable.