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Press Release, 6 May 2019
Cologne May 6, 2019. With a mass action of civil disobedience, Ende Gelände will block open-cast mines in the Rhineland mining area between June 19-24, 2019. Thereby, they will take coal phase-out into their own hands. Thousands of climate activists from all over Europe are to be expected. Ende Gelände demands an immediate exit from coal as an essential step towards global climate justice.
„Political authorities have failed entirely when it comes to climate change. With the ‚compromise‘ of the so-called coal commission in Germany, we are continuing to hurtle towards a world that will be 4-6° warmer. Coal business and governments are firing away our future. To stop the climate crisis, we must take the coal phase-out into our own hands by blocking the coal mines“, explains Sina Reisch, press spokesperson of Ende Gelände.
The German coal commission recommends a coal phase-out as late as 2038. This policy will threaten the villages surrounding the open-cast mine Garzweiler. These villages are meant to be coercively resettled for the planned extension of coal company RWE’s mine. As Europe’s biggest source of CO 2 , the Rhineland mining area moreover threatens entire islands and coastal regions. In the Global South, people are already losing their livelihoods due to the effects of the climate crisis.
„We stand with everyone whose home is under threat by coal. The large-scale protests for the preservation of the Hambach Forest last autumn were only the beginning. New police laws and attempts to criminalise our actions for climate justice won’t discourage us. Civil disobedience is necessary in order to save our future. We stand in solidarity with the students of the climate strikes. Together, we fight for a good life for all humans and for generations to come“, says Nike Mahlhaus, also spokesperson of Ende Gelände.
The action is also a response to the failure of the German government when it comes to the forthcoming Climate Protection Act. Accordingly, further mass demonstrations as well as strikes for the climate will take place at the same time as the Ende Gelände action weekend. Furthermore, due to the UN Climate Change Conference occurring simultaneously in Bonn, companions from the Global South will also be attending the protests.
Contact:
Sina Reisch: 0049 177 9676805
Nike Mahlhaus: 0049 157 874 141 71
presse@ende-gelaende.org