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Press Invitation, 20 November 2019

Berlin, 20 November 2019. On 30 November 2019, thousands of activists from the anti-coal alliance Ende Gelaende will block coal infrastructure in the Lusatia and Leipzig coalfields in Eastern Germany. They demand an immediate coal phase-out and a fundamental system change. This action is part of a joint action weekend with Fridays for Future held in protest against the German government’s failed climate policy. On the same weekend, Fridays for Future is organising its second Global Strike (29th November) and a protest in the Lusatia coalfield in parallel to the Ende Gelaende action.

“Everyone is talking about the climate crisis, but nothing changes. The government’s climate package is nothing but hot air. Corporate interests and the desperate growth compulsion seem to be more important than human needs. We will not take this feigned climate policy any longer. Where summits, governments and commissions fail, we need to take climate justice in our own hands”, says Nike Mahlhaus, spokesperson of Ende Gelaende.

On Wednesday, 27th November, 12pm, there will be a press conference in Berlin that will be held together with Fridays for Future, the alliance “All Villages Remain”, and the new group “Anti Kohle Kidz” (Anti-Coal Kids). Directly afterwards, we invite you to a public action training during which you are welcome to film and take pictures. A press briefing will also take place, to which we invite in particular those journalists who would like to accompany activists. We will inform you at short notice about the exact meeting point.
On Thursday, 28th November, 10:30 a separate press confrence on the action in the Leipzig coalfields and public action training will take place in Leipzig, together with Ende Gelaende, Fridays for Future Leipzig, Students for Future Leipzig, Pro Poedelwitz.Ort: Neues Augusteum, Universität Leipzig, Augustplatz 10, 04109 Leipzig.

You are more than welcome to report about the protests of Ende Gelaende before and during the action. We will be available for interviews. There is also the possibility to accompany activists into the action or to write and film portraits about activists.

Background:
Germany is the world‘s biggest producer of lignite, an especially polluting type of coal. In the Lusatia coalfield near Cottbus, the mining company LEAG operates several open-cast coal mines and coal power plants. Despite the expansion of renewable energies in Germany, there has been no significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the last ten years; moreover, Germany will fail to reach its climate target to cut emission by 20 % in 2020 (compared to 1990). The government is pursuing a coal phase-out in 2038, which experts say is incompatible with keeping global warming below 1,5 degrees. The government cabinet is expected to adopt a coal phase-out law on 3rd December 2019. According to the latest leaked drafts, the law would allow for a new coal power station (Datteln IV) to go on stream.

In 2018, a broad anti-coal movement achieved a clearing stop for the Hambach Forest, which is still under threat by the mining operations. Ende Gelaende took part in these protests with a 24-hour blockade at the Hambach open-cast mine. Ende Gelaende has already blocked six times coal infrastructure, together with thousands of activists from all over Europe.

Press contacts:
Nike Mahlhaus: +49 151 413 745 27
Sina Reisch: +49 177 967 68 05 (for Leipzig)

E-Mail: presse@ende-gelaende.org

Phone:

Kontakt:
presse@ende-gelaende.org
www.ende-gelaende.org

Twitter: @Ende__Gelaende
Facebook: baggerstoppen
Instagramm: ende__gelaende
Flickr: endegelaende