Newsletter #31 – Climate Justice is Non-Negotiable

It is becoming increasingly clear that the federal government will have to face the end of the coal era. What is also clear is that this is, at least in part, due to the successes of our diverse and heightening Anti-Coal movement.

At the same time, the creation of the so-called “Kohlekommission” (Commission on Coal) highlights that the government is playing with time and is therefore trampling all over Climate Justice.

The emerging popular debate about climate-damaging coal power is aimed to be assuaged and pleased through pretentious compromises, without limiting the profit interests of the powerful coal-lobby. However, there is no time remaining for delaying tactics and false deals – an immediate and complete coal exit is necessary and unavoidable.

We will, however, not be content with this course of action! Alongside other actors of the movement, we will fight for climate justice and further the necessary system change together. Our mobilization and efforts for these goals are asked for at various climate camps and with our friends of Limity jsme my and Code Rood this summer, as well as this October in the Hambacher Forest region – with the mass action from Oct. 25th to Oct. 29th.

This newsletter consists of:

1. Help us to inspire more people for Ende Gelände
a. Order mobilization materials
b. Organize an information session
c. Distribute and circulate our Call to Action
2. Czech Republic – Beginning of ‘Ende Gelände goes Europe’
3. Invitation to alliance meeting (July 6th-8th in Bremen)
4. ‘Climate contra Police-law of NRW’ (Demonstration in Düsseldorf on July 7th)

1. Help us to inspire more people for Ende Gelände

If we want to send a powerful signal to preserve the Hambacher Forest from Oct. 25th to Oct. 29th and come together with many people, united against coal power, we have to start mobilizing now!

a. Order Mobilization materials

Order your posters, flyers, and stickers now and distribute them at your favorite store, your university, at your workplace, in line at the agency for work, or directly to your friends! Cover all of the areas in which you’ve always missed a sharp statement and call to action. You can order the materials for free at: mobimaterial@ende-gelaende.org , however any donation is much appreciated!

The save-the-date-flyer is already available in English and French to download and print on your own, we also have small amounts of printed English flyers in stock.

b. Organize an information session in your city or village

Posters and stickers are powerful tools to mobilize, however, direct interaction is irreplaceable.

Organize a local information session to talk to people in your city or village and inspire them to become part of the movement. We have detailed presentations of the Ende Gelände initiative and many hands-on tips to help you all organize such an event.

If you are not yet comfortable to lead such an event, we will provide presenters to hold the session. All that is needed is a room, some advertisement, and people that are interested.

We will look for presenters, get you in contact with other local activists in your region, and are looking forward to announce your information session on the Ende Gelände homepage. E-Mail us at: veranstaltungen@ende-gelaende.org

c. Distribute and circulate our Call to Action

Our call to action for the Ende Gelände mass actions in October is now online – let’s get the word out! Send the call out to your listserv, tweet, post, and snap about it. For example: “Coal Exit Now! Hambacher Forest stays. Come from Oct. 25th to Oct. 29th to the Hambacher Forest, to the place of resistance against the destruction of our climate.”

The call to action is not only available in German , it is already translated into English, Dutch , Czech , French , Italian and Spanish – for a climate justice movement that transcends across borders.

If your group, organization, alliance, etc. wants to sign the call to action, please contact mobi@ende-gelaende.org
(If you contact us before July 15th, your group will be part of the second edition of flyers.)

2. Czech Republic – Beginning of ‘Ende Gelände goes Europe’

Today marks the beginning of the second Czech climate camp near Louka u Litvinova – and with that the campaign ‘Ende Gelände goes Europe’ (sorry, german only). We have supported our Czech friends with the preparation of the camp and mobilized people to join. Our efforts came to fruition, many people from Magdeburg, Berlin, Dresden, and Leipzig are heading over there. Dresden even managed to organize a collective bicycle group. You can find information about travel, legal stuff, and more below.

The Czech Republic, in combination with Germany and Poland constitute the “Coal-Countries” of Europe. North Bohemia, the heart of industrial Czech, is one of the biggest CO2 emitters in the Czech Republic, and the fourth biggest emitter of the European Union. A sky rocking 80 villages have been removed for the mining of brown coal. The action ‘Limity jsme my’ is part of the political fight to shut down the oldest and dirtiest coal power plant of the country. This, however, is only possible if we prevent the private investors from being able to get a special permit, which would allow them to keep the plant running for many decades.

Come to the Czech Republic – let’s transcend borders! Here in Germany and everywhere else we demand an end to coal!

3. Invitation to alliance meeting (July 6th-8th in Bremen)

The action this October is coming closer and we have lot more to do! Next week, from July 6th to July 8th we are hosting our alliance meeting – this time in Bremen. In the plenary and the working group we will finally be able to have direct exchange.

Whether you’ve been involved with Ende Gelände since the beginning or you’ve just heard about it, if you’re eager to help with the preparations of the actions and the logistics come to the meeting! In order to help newcomers to get a sense of what Ende Gelände is all about, we will give a brief introduction into the content and structure of Ende Gelände.

Please sign-up here , so the Organization-Team can make sure that we have enough food and all of us have a place to stay.
Additionally, here you can find details about getting there and registering.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all!:)

4. ‘Climate contra (new) Police-law of NRW’ (Demonstration in Düsseldorf next week)

Many of us will be in Bremen for the alliance meeting to plan for our action in October, everyone else please comes to Düsseldorf. This Saturday, on July 7th, thousands of people are planning on demonstrating against the recently proposed police law of NRW. Various climate justice groups, including Ende Gelände, are calling its supporters to join! We will be part of the demonstration as a ‘Klima-Block’.

If the proposed law passes, fundamental liberal democratic principles will be disabled (we’ve elaborated on this in our last newsletter). The strengthening of the power of the police will have direct consequences on the methods and ways that the police will be able to come down on us, during our actions. The media already pointed out that even Tasers could be “tested” in the region around the coal mining sites of Hambach and Garzweiler.

We will not be intimidated by this proposal and call the new law what it is: A repressive attack on our basic liberties!

The protest will beginn at 13 o’clock (1 pm) in front of the DBG Haus, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 34-38, in Düsseldorf and will end with a rally at 15:30 (3:30 pm) in front of the state capitol building.

Come one, come all and join the ‘Klima-Block’, the green flag will be our symbol of recognition. More information can be found through the alliance ‘Nein zum neuen Polizeigesetz NRW’ (No – to the new police-law of NRW).

Kind regards,

Your Newsletter-Team


News

++ Ende Gelände finishes successful action weekend ++ “The climate justice movement is growing and is internationally stronger than ever!” ++

1. August 2021 Ende Gelände has declared the action weekend for climate justice finished today. More than 2,000 activists participated in blockades at ChemCoast Park near Brunsbüttel. In wind and weather, the activists blocked the railroad tracks to the ChemCoast Park at important points. The blockades were maintained until Sunday. On Saturday, activists with canoes brought shipping on the Kiel Canal to a complete standstill for more than two hours. Ships were jammed on one of the most important waterways in the world. Continue reading ...