A peaceful New Year and no further escalation in the Hambach Forest! – Call to all concerned parties

Dear readers,

We wish you and your loved ones a pleasant start of the new year.

Due to the growing number of voices assuming a massive deforestation of the the Hambach Forst at the beginning of this year, we hereby take the liberty of pronouncing an explicit warning.

If it should actually happen that the Hambach Forest south of the former A4 motorway should be deforested and that pumping stations to lower the groundwater table should be built, we would like to point out that these measures will lead to an escalation between the environmentalists and security personnel.

We therefore ask both the responsible politicians in North Rhine-Westphalia and local authorities, the police executives and the media representatives, to inquire at RWE Power AG as to when, how and where the measures will be taken and to ensure that the activists will not be endangered by the behaviour of private security forces.

We are very willing to communicate to you further information regarding the growing protest movement throughout the coal mining area, the mobilisation in the Hambach Forest and the machinations of authorities and energy business in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dear media representatives,

We ask that you do not let the environmentalists alone, please report on the spot, whether from the Hambach Forest, from the occupations in the forest and the meadow, on the dismantling of infrastructure and settlements, the construction of huge amounts of pumping stations around the open pits, at large-scale dewatering measures far beyond the open-cast mines, on infiltration in water and soil layers, the dumping of contaminated material in the mining area, etc.

Dear executives from politics and administration,

Please take influence on the design of the energy industry in North Rhine-Westphalia and stop the over-exploitation of nature and human livelihoods. Attached please find the alternative routing decision for truly sustainable development in the Rhenish mining area.

Dear police executives,

Do not leave ensuring the grubbing operations to private security firms with their questionable manners. And please do not get impressed by their descriptions of violent rioters on the occupation. That’s not true and you should know from the already performed operations in the mines.

Dear executives of RWE Power AG,

At the last “round table” in the NRW Parliament, your envoys assured that it is also important to you to try to avoid further conflict in the Hambach Forest and the adjoining open pit of Hambach. Please clarify what you do intend in the coming year, to keep this promise.

Deeply worried about an escalation in the the Hambach Forest

We remain with well-intentioned regards,

Michael Zobel
(Naturalist guide and forest educator)

Todde Kemmerich
(Der Braunkohletourist, see below)

Videos:

TRAILER BRAUNKOHLETOURIST: https://vimeo.com/145126393

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE: https://vimeo.com/148215031

ANDANTE AN DER KANTE: https://vimeo.com/137082981

HAMBACHER FORST FÜHRUNG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9n2EFur22c “