Newsletter #51
Hooray, hooray, the newsletter is back! And it brings lots of exciting topics straight to your email inbox. The preparations for the summer action are already in full swing. Here you can find out how you can get involved, whether at the alliance meeting or in various working groups. We also report briefly on the … Continued
Hooray, hooray, the newsletter is back! And it brings lots of exciting topics straight to your email inbox. The preparations for the summer action are already in full swing. Here you can find out how you can get involved, whether at the alliance meeting or in various working groups. We also report briefly on the cooperation between activists from Ende Gelände and the Seebrücke in Calais and have a mini-info-input on the topic of gas for you!
Enjoy the 51st newsletter.
1. Clean natural gas is a dirty lie!
2. Announcement: Summer Action at Brunsbüttel (Northern Germany)
3. Invitation to the alliance meeting 09 to 11 April
4. How-to end alliance work 25 April 2021, 2:00 to 5:30 pm
5. No Justice in a Racist Climate: Ende Gelände x Seebrücke at Calais
6. The website working crew is looking for you!
7. Climate camp in the Danni (forest) 09 to 18 April
1. Clean natural gas is a dirty lie!
Again and again, natural gas is sold to us as an “environmentally friendly” transition technology. Why this is a dirty lie and natural gas is part of the problems and not part of the solution strategies for a sustainable-solidary society, we would like to shed some light on in the next newsletters.
What is natural gas and what does it look for in Germany?
Natural gas is a gas mixture that varies in chemical composition but consists predominantly of methane (CH4). 25% of Germany’s primary energy needs are met by natural gas, and most of it comes from abroad. That is more than lignite and hard coal combined! ( AGEB, 2020 ) Instead of switching from coal energy to renewable energy in Germany, there are plans to build new gas power plants and LNG terminals.
Natural gas as a neo-colonial project
A large part of the natural gas is extracted in countries of the Global South through fracking, a practice against which there is a moratorium in the EU because it is too risky. So, in order for countries of the Global North to consume cheap gas and corporations to bid for profits, people in the Global South are driven from their lands and face harsh repression in resistance to extractivism. An example of this is Colombia, where there are plans by multinationals and the government to frack for natural gas in coal mines. To this end, natural gas-producing and hard coal-producing companies have also joined forces to increase the yields of fossil raw materials from an open pit mine. Coal, in fact, often occurs in conjunction with natural gas, which can be extracted through fracking. While we in Germany have profited for years from the exploitative, human rights-violating and environmentally and climate-destructive coal mining in Colombia, the indigenous and Afro-Caribbean population is confronted with the next catastrophe. German companies are again at the forefront of this. Immer wieder wird uns Erdgas als eine “umweltfreundliche” Übergangstechnologie verkauft. Warum das eine dreckige Lüge ist und Erdgas ein Teil der Probleme und nicht die Lösung für eine nachhaltig-solidarische Gesellschaft ist, möchten wir gerne in den nächsten Newslettern etwas genauer beleuchten.
More information and actions on gas can be found here:
- Report “Taking the next Step – Why insurers should not support new gas infrastructure, starting with LNG” (Urgewald)
- Video: “#WintershallMustFall Speech by Esteban Servat- EcoLeaks”
- Youtube channel of the Gastivists
2. Announcement: Summer Action at Brunsbüttel (Northern Germany)
In summer it’s once again: Let’s go, let’s go to the end of the road! This time in Brunsbüttel. An LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) terminal is being built here and we will make sure that doesn’t happen!
In 2021, no more fossil fuels must be brought out of the ground, whether coal or gas, we need to exit all fossil fuels now. We will not allow German profits to continue to be made at the expense of people in the global south and we will stand with our bodies against exploitation, profiteering and climate destruction.
Stand by, more information coming soon!
3. Invitation to the alliance meeting 09 to 11 April
From 9 to 11 April it’s that time again: Another colourful online alliance meeting is coming up! You can look forward to exchange, discussions, opportunities to participate in working groups and much more. This year’s plans will be concretised at this meeting: the natural gas action in Brunsbüttel and the working groups on the topics of mobility, mobilisation after the Bundestag elections in Germany and coal resistance in the Rhenish coalfield. We also want to continue to take time for internal reflection. We invite you to come and brainstorm with us, plan actions, debate or just connect with activists from the movement. The alliance meeting will take place online from Friday evening until Sunday. There will be an English translation and people for awareness will also be there.
You can register for the alliance meeting directly on our website .
4. How-to alliance work 25 April 2021, 2:00 to 5:30 pm
Ende Gelände is not only cooking or washing up at the camp, supporting the Shit Brigade, working in the awareness team or writing minutes at the local group plenary.
The organisation, which goes beyond the local actions of the local groups, takes place in the Ende Gelände alliance, which organises itself through working groups and small groups. These groups mainly communicate via regular online alliance meetings. An overview of the structures can be found on our website .
You want to support the Ende Gelände alliance but don’t know how? We invite you to become active in the alliance and to contribute your skills and power! We are also happy to take the time to explain everything to you in more detail: In our fancy get-to-know-you afternoon:
“Come to the fine alliance, with our guidance”
On Sunday 25 April 2021, 2:00 to 5:30 pm
(Optional: technique check at 1 pm)
The aim is that you get an insight into Ende Gelände and the work of the alliance and can directly get to know working groups and other small groups and ask them about their work. If you are interested in joining or have questions, send an email to the moderation crew and they will organize translation possibilities.
5. No Justice in a Racist Climate: Ende Gelände x Seebrücke in Calais
Calais ist eine französische Stadt am Ärmelkanal, wo Fähren und der Eurotunnel in Richtung Großbritannien starten. Im “Sommer der Migration” 2015 hatte die Zahl der ankommenden Geflüchteten in Calais seinen Höchststand erreicht. Man geht davon aus, dass ca. 7.000 – 10.000 Menschen für 1.5 Jahre in Hütten und Verschlägen im “Jungle of Calais” gelebt haben, wie das Camp genannt wurde.
Dieses Camp in Calais wurde im Sommer 2016 von der Polizei unter massivem Einsatz von Gewalt geräumt. Seitdem leben die Flüchtenden in dezentral verteilten Zelten auf der Straße. Diese Orte werden jeden Tag durch Tränengas und Schlagstöcken von der Polizei geräumt. Die menschenfeindlichen Bedingungen in Calais sind Kalkül der französischen Behörden, welchen die Geflüchteten weiterhin versuchen zu entkommen um in den UK erneut Asyl zu beantragen. Auf dem Weg über den Ärmelkanal ertrinken regelmäßig Menschen, auf dem Weg durch den Eurotunnel sind schon einige Menschen in LKWs erstickt.
Aktivist*innen von Ende Gelände und Seebrücke waren vor Ort und arbeiteten bei Refugee Community Kitchen mit, um praktische Solidarität zu zeigen und der rassistischen Klimakrise den Kampf anzusagen. Denn die Klimakrise und die tödlichen Außengrenzen der EU haben einen gemeinsamen Ursprung: White Supremacy. Wir sagen: No Justice in a Racist Climate! Auf gehts, Ab gehts, Ende der Festung Europa, yallah!
Aktuelle Infos zur Lage findet ihr unter calais.bordermonitoring.eu
6. The website working crew is looking for you!
Thousands of people visit our homepage every year. It is an important tool for the Ende Gelände alliance to present ourselves and to reach people. You have already spent some time on our homepage – if only in order to sign up for this newsletter! We need your help to keep the homepage up and running!
You want to join us? Great! Then just get in touch.
7. Climate camp in the Danni (forest) 09 to 18 April
From 9 to 18 April the first Danni climate camp will take place at the Dannenröder Wald protest camp. There will be many opportunities for discussion and exchange around topics such as the sustainable traffic revolution, a future without cars, eco-feminism, migration and climate crisis and much more.
If you decide to attend, please inform yourself about the hygiene concept and the current Corona regulations!
More information can be found on the website of Wald-statt-Asphalt (Forest-not-asphalt) .
