Newsletter #47 – Our plans for 2020
Plans for 2020: Mass action on 27th September in the Rhineland brown coal district + “Shell Must Fall” in May
Hi everyone,
Arghhhh! Hanau, Thüringen, Lesbos, Australia… and now this virus on top of it all, as if we didn’t have enough problems already. What do the precautions to contain the Coronavirus mean for climate change plans this year? It’s hard to say at this point. One thing is for sure: we take the safety of everyone involved and the protection of elderly and those at risk seriously. However, it is equally clear that global warming is not waiting. Millions of people will die from its consequences. To protect ourselves against the climate crisis, we also need high levels of awareness and collective determination. To protect ourselves against the climate crisis, we should also…just shutdown capitalism!
We will continue to fight fossil fuel companies and their infrastructure!
Below are our plans for 2020. And…stay spontaneous!
1. Let’s go! Ende Gelände campaign around Sept 27th, in the Rhineland brown coal mining area
2. Why are we postponing the Rhineland campaign?
3. Warm-up for the campaign year: occupation of Datteln 4 in February
6. Impressions from the Alliance meeting in Dresden
1. Let’s go: Ende Gelände campaign around Sept 27th, in the Rhineland brown coal mining area
In the days around September 27th, we will again start a mass campaign in the Rhineland brown coal mining area. Civil disobedience and loud protest are still necessary in the Rhineland. RWE wants to dredge villages and relocate people in order to extract coal that destroys the climate! We are there for the long haul – our resistance will continue until the last excavator stops.
A “coal phase-out law” that is supposed to phase out the use of coal by 2038, a new power plant that is due to start working later this year, billions in compensation for the energy companies – this policy is a scandal. As Ende Gelände we say no! In 2020, all excavators need to stop digging, all coal-fired power plants should stop burning – and there certainly should not be new plants connected to the power supply system.
2. Why are we postponing the Rhineland campaign?
You may have heard in different networks that the Rhineland campaign was originally planned for August. During the last alliance meeting, Ende Gelände decided to postpone this year’s action to the end of September. We hope that this doesn’t mess up your annual planning too much! The decision was not an easy one for us and was the result of a long process weighing up different factors. It became clear that the proximity to many other protests in the summer would put a lot of strain on our structures. In addition, there were requests to coordinate our campaign as well as possible with other protests and camps so that nothing stands in the way of a long summer of climate activism. After a one-day discussion on the issue, the new date at the end of September was determined in a consensus process. So, put it in your calendars! It will be a disobedient summer like never before.
3. Warm-up for the campaign year: occupation of Datteln 4 in February
On February 2nd, over 100 activists from Ende Gelände and DeCOALonize Europe blocked coal infrastructure on the power plant site of Datteln IV. In the early morning hours, the activists were able to reach the site unnoticed despite the high police presence. By climbing the so-called “portal scraper”, they were able to prevent the transportation of coal from there to the power plant. The activists held their position in good spirits for eight hours. Meanwhile there was a press conference at the gates of the power plant. The speakers at the press conference included an activist from Kuzbass, a hard coal mining area in Russia where the opencast mines have led to massive health impairments and human rights violations of local residents. This action was just the beginning! We will be back!
Further information:
Ende-Gelände PM: Besetzung von Datteln 4 erfolgreich beendet
Heise: Klimaaktivisten besetzen Datteln 4: “Und das war erst der Anfang!”
Münstersche Zeitung: Kraftwerks-Besetzung – Münsteraner in Datteln festgenommen
4. Ende Gelände Goes Europe: Shell Must Fall (16.05 -19.05) in The Hague (NL) & RadiAction (24.08 – 30.08) in Lyon (FR)
This year, Ende Gelände is calling for participation in campaigns from climate activism groups in neighbouring countries in Europe.
On May 16th to 19th, the alliance behind “Shell Must Fall” will disrupt Royal Dutch Shell’s annual general meeting. Let this be last Shell shareholders’ meeting ever! The very last thing needed in the climate crisis is people discussing how to maximize their profits with fossil fuels. The Shell Must Fall campaign aims at making heard the voices of those in frontline communities in Nigeria, Alberta and Groningen, who are affected by the multinational fuel company´s massive human rights violations.
Further information:
Intervention code Rood at the Shell AGM 2019 (youtube)
Shell Must Fall 2020 (code Rood)
and in the next Ende Gelände newsletter.
From August 24th to 30th RadiAction is calling to participate in an action in Lyon against nuclear power. In France, many of the 57 nuclear power plants are nearing retirement age. Either our neighbouring country will become a future laboratory for more conscious use of natural resources, or billions of Euros will be invested into new reactors that will pump their dirty electricity to Germany too. RadiAction wants to prevent this. RadiAction have often participated in Ende Gelände actions, and now they are planning their own actions against nuclear power. Let’s join!
Further information: RadiAction Camp 2020 ! (also in english)
5. Solutions for the climate crisis: “Immediate climate justice program” and “Climate plan from the bottom up”
We demand a fundamental system change. But what does that really mean? And most importantly, how can we take the first steps towards implementation in the world as it is now? Two initiatives from the climate justice movement worked intensively last year in order to define a more concrete concept of “system change”.
Various actors in the climate justice movement developed the “Immediate Climate Justice Program” . Ende Gelände supports the paper because it opens up perspectives on how we can make our way towards a climate-friendly world. We do not see these proposals as a long-term utopia of a post-capitalist society, but as exciting first steps.
The “Just 1.5 degrees” initiative started an open writing process in September to collect socially just measures that we can apply in the effort to keep warming below 1.5 degrees. Solutions to the climate crisis must come from the bottom up, not from the top down! The first edition will be available in pdf format at the beginning of March. Despite the rich 260 pages, this first version is still a work in progress and a call to everyone interested to add their own comments, make revisions and edits and add new ideas and propositions! These changes will flow into the next edition.
It is time for us to add a constructive plan to our oppositional protest!
6. Impressions from the Alliance meeting in Dresden
The last Alliance meeting took place from February 28th to March 1st in Dresden. The large rooms available for the meetings made it possible to gather both in big and small groups. The main topics were this year’s campaigns – from public image to consensus there was a lot of discussion. As mentioned above, a major focus was also placed on deciding upon the best campaign date. Delicious meal breaks and a party on Saturday evening balanced out the huge number of discussions. A new consensus process has helped us work productively and we were able to leave the meeting having reached a number of new decisions.
The next alliance meetings will probably take place from 3.-5. April in Kassel and from May 8th to 10th in Berlin. You are welcome to join!
