Masked assailants have again struck at the security camp belonging to energy group RWE in Germany's Hambach Forest. Activists have occupied the area against clearance plans that would allow a coal mine to be enlarged.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
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People wearing masks and hoodies early on Tuesday attacked German energy group RWE's security camp in the Hambach Forest, near Cologne, police said.
Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at the building, and two vehicles were set alight, including a fire engine. Other cars were damaged. Police said the perpetrators then fled into the forest.
An investigation has been opened into several crimes, including assault and battery, intentional arson, and a serious breach of the peace.
Tuesday's attack follows a similar incident last week, which saw around 20 attackers throw stones using catapults at the building. An RWE employee received a head injury when one of the rocks hit him.
Demands for coal phase-out
Hambach has been the scene of a months-long standoff between environmental activists and authorities over plans to clear the forest to enlarge a nearby open-pit coal mine, owned by RWE.
RWE insists the clearance must proceed so that future power supplies can be guaranteed.
Campaigners say Germany remains too reliant on coal for electricity generation, despite promises to phase out the worst polluting fossil fuels. They say 90 percent of the forest has already been cleared and that the energy giant plans to clear half of the remaining woodland.
In September and October, police began a large-scale operation to remove the protesters who had set up their camp inside the forest over several years.
Several hard-core activists are spending Christmas and New Year in the forest, and in the days before the festive period were appealing on social media for fresh supplies, saying that police had destroyed their kitchen and sleeping spaces.
Demanding a coal phaseout: In the thick of Hambach
At least 6,000 people protested against lignite extraction in western Germany last weekend, blocking a railway used to transport brown coal from the controversial Hambach mine to power plants.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Hambi stays: Local slogan, global movement
At least 6,000 people gathered in the heart of western German coal country Saturday to demand an end to coal use. People from around the world joined forces with a local movement that started back in 2012 with a handful of activists trying to stop the expansion of a brown coal mine and save the last 200 hectares of the millennia-old Hambach Forest. The message was clear: Coal is a global problem.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Old and young stand together
The protestors spanned many ages and walks of life. There were young activists dressed in wigs or hazmat suits, but also families and the elderly. People with reduced mobility followed the march at their own pace. A nine-year-old boy was keen to voice his view on the dirty fossil fuel, telling DW he was worried about his future but expected the authorities to do the right thing and give up coal.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Time for action
Demonstrators split up, some continuing the authorized protest while others took direct action to block coal infrastructure. A hundred people tried to stop the diggers at two nearby coal mines; close to 40 people were arrested. Trying to reach the train line, another 1,000 protestors ended up on the nearby A4 highway, resulting in around 250 arrests. Both the diggers and traffic were stopped.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Next stop: Coal transport lines
A third group was determined to block the railway transporting coal from the Hambach mine to the three power plants where it is destined to be burned. They had their work cut out, with police attempting to block the activists from approaching the railway. In the end they had to change their route several times, running through fields and navigating dense forest to reach their target.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
A tense ride
On route to the rail lines, there were no major clashes with police but the atmosphere was extremely tense. Police officers on horseback followed protesters up to the edge of the forest, preventing them from changing course. Outbreaks of nerves rippled through activists and horses — without it being clear who triggered what.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
The path narrows
Once the protesters entered the forest, the situation became more fraught. They had to walk carefully to avoid tripping over branches while dodging the police — who physically shoved them as they approached — or each other as, from time to time, the crowd suddenly surged without warning.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Sticking close together
In the midst of the chaos, activists called for calm, shouting to one another to stick together and remain peaceful. They held on to each other so no one would fall, get lost, or get caught by the police. Others conferred over the best route to proceed toward the rail line.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
On target
Eventually, thousands of protesters arrived at the rail lines. Police officers initially tried to prevent them from climbing down on the tracks, but they were outnumbered. Activists had hung guide ropes down the slopes beforehand, but most people simply slid, ran or tumbled down the bank. Within just a few minutes, the railway was engulfed in a crowd of protestors.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
Sit-in for a break
After an exhausting two-hour scramble, protesters sat down for a rest. The weather was bitingly cold, but there was an air of cheer as the crowd made itself comfortable on the tracks. For now at least, the energy companies couldn't transport coal from mines to their power plants — a victory celebrated under the watchful eyes of police on the hills above.
Image: DW/I. B. Ruiz
A 24-hour victory
The police warned that the direct action was illegal, and offered protesters the chance to abandon their blockade without penalties. But most stayed put overnight. Organizers said their protest blocked coal infrastructure for around 24 hours — which they judged a success. The last 50 to leave the protest had chained themselves to the tracks and had to be forcibly evicted one by one.
