This year Ende Gelände is focused on a Lignite coal mine in Lausatia, Germany. After a successful action last year in 2015 in the Rhinelands, a lot of people experienced a very empowering action and got both motivated and inspired to repeat this strategy, this time with more people involved. Although in 2015 there were mostly German people involved, this year the organization has opened up to an international network to find support and to make the mobilization towards Lausatia a result of the work of many organizations both on a National and International level. IYNF went to their international meeting in Berlin to support the Anti-Fossil-Fuels Movement!
What is Ende Gelände about?
Ende Gelände comes from people who have been doing Climate action for a long time and who share the feeling that protests in the streets and ‘actions as usual’ are not effective (anymore). A lot of those people involved were also in COP15 Copenhagen and experienced a deep frustration that loads of human energy was lost after an unsatisfying outcome of the COP15. All the work and energy invested in the mobilization seemed ‘to be for nothing’ in the end.
This background led activists to re-think the strategy that the climate movement has been following and resulted in climate camps that facilitated discussions and critical thinking. There, the idea grow to organize an action against the polluters, instead of mobilizing people into the streets. While targeting the industry, Ende Gelände wants to have a clear political message: Here, and no Further! They want the polluters of today to stop their activity, to decrease CO2 emissions and to shift from the usage of fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The Lignite coal mine in Lausatia is the second largest of Europe and is owned by the Scandinavian company Vattenfall who is known for Suing the German state, when Merkel decided to phase-out nuclear power. Vattenfall plans to sell the lignite coal mine field, which is the reason for Ende Gelände to focus on Lausatia this year. They want to put the field negatively into the public attention, hoping that this will result in either a decrease of value of the mine, or stopping other investors to buy the coal mine from Vattenfall. And that doing so with a clear political message to the world: investing in coal is history!
This is the reason why Ende Gelände calls itself ‘We are the investment risk’ and thus wants to openly announce that they will take action in their own hands. They publicly announce to all stakeholders that this movement will come to the Lignite coal mine, not to protest at the gates, but to enter the coal pit with a disobedient action, without harming people or materials. The success of last year’s action comes from the cooperation of various organizations with a wide diversity that have come to an action consensus. All the organizations involved were therefore 100% supportive for the whole idea, the message and thus the act of civil disobedience.
– How can I get involved?
IYNF will support the mobilization by collaborating with various different organizations. Save the dates from 12 to 16 May! Or if you would like to go to the Action Camp before, you can already go to Lausatia from the 9th to get fully prepared. It is strongly recommended that you follow a training before joining the action, so you are aware of all consequences of taking part in this civil disobedient action. If you would like to help with the organization of the mobilization supported by IYNF, please get in contact with thomas@iynf.org
