We are a family group of Wolfens, that is a grassroot movement for the protection of the Carpathian Forest. We operate as an intersectional collective. We make decisions by consensus. We believe that we can function as we would like the world to function: without hierarchy, human domination over other beings, patriarchy, queerphobia and fascism. With radical empathy and care.
We do not agree to the devastation of wildlife and the exploitation of valuable forests as wood inventories. Bieszczady forests are an extremely complex, sensitive ecosystem that performs many very important functions. These forests are soil and water-protective, therefore the amount of water in the country depends on their condition. This is where the most rain and snow falls. Mountain streams feed rivers and the excess water is stored by the forest. Forests, especially the old, natural ones, play a key role in climate protection.
If they continue to be massively cut, the soil crushed with heavy equipment, and the deep ruts of skid roads continue to run a sea of mud into mountain streams, we have no chance in the fight against drought in the country, floods, not to mention the climate disaster. Meanwhile, the State Forests institution consistently implement a plan to destroy forests in areas that could be included in national parks or where reserves are designed, so as to diminish their natural value, so that there are no longer grounds for protecting them.
We believe that it is our moral duty to fight to defend our common good, and in the face of planned logging in one of the most valuable areas of mountain forests in Poland, we feel that the only way left is to block them directly. In order for us to succeed, we need financial support to cover logistics costs, purchase materials for building houses, climbing equipment, and provide legal support.
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Poland: Nora 219Ⓐ Manifesto
Saint Nazaire (France): Another eviction
After having evicted us from the various places where we tried to find shelter, they even came to evict us from a parking lot, no negotiations possible, no additional time. The places must be free as soon as possible.
Collectif Geronimo
Poland: New forest occupation
At the beginning of the Carpathians, where the area is still only hilly and where wolves, bears and lynxes live freely, wood is being cut because a piece of virgin forest was not classified as a national park. It planned to become one, in the fifties. Now it is not even nature reserve. This year it is planned to take 30% of the trees from the forest, all the big ones that are not declared as natural monuments. The job of cutting tree is apparently not even profitable: the two local forest management companies have received more than ~30 million euros in the last 8 years because of deficit. 3 times more than the 23 national parks of Poland.
A big part of the forest has never been attacked: it is on the slope and before, it was too difficult to go there with machines. In other words, it is a virgin forest located right next to a national park. If roads are built now to get to the wood, it is not only bad for the groundwater (the water then flows down the roads and is no longer “caught” in the forest), but also for the bears, which have build their sleeping places at least 2 km away from the roads. Many endangered species of lichen and moss live there, as well as protected woodpeckers and owls.
So on January 3, activists moved in to block the access road. With two skypods, the Wilczyce (female wolves) protect the forest on site, because petitions and blockades of the forest management company were not enough. Everyone is invited to join the protest.
The occupation is called Nora 219Ⓐ. Nora is the polish word for wolf’s burrow and 219a is the number the forest management compagny gave the piece of forest.
Website: nora219a.blackblogs.org
Twitter: @nora219a
Instagram: kolektyw.wilczyce
Email: wilczyce [at] riseup [dot] net
If you send us an email, we can help you to find public transport, because their websites can be complicated.
The exact location of the occupation is 49.12642° N, 22.71411° E, two kilometers straight on the way from the Bison Park Pokazowa zagroda żubrów w Mucznem.
Via Hambach Forest
Saint Nazaire (France): Update from Collectif Geronimo
A quick and very fresh hello straight from the camp, temperatures have dropped below -4C, but we are all alive. Thanks to the help of several volunteers from associations, we were able to survive this night.
A few people came to bring us a little human warmth, coffee and pastries.
Thank you for your support!
Current location: Landscaped park, Saint Nazaire.
Edit: Small morning visit of the municipal police, we keep you informed of the rest of the events!
Collectif Geronimo
Posting on mastodon
EN will now be autoposting news on mastodon (the opensource alternative to twitter) at kolektiva.social. FR is already there at mamot.fr. Squat the world!
Switzerland: Call to support the ZAD de la Colline
In Switzerland, a few kilometers from Lausanne, the multinational cement company LaFargeHolcim seeks to expand the exploitation of the limestone quarry which consumes and attacks the Mormont hill. The quarry’s expansion threatens to engulf the hill’s protected forest, its unique biodiversity, its history and the cultivated lands which it is home to. The company is no stranger to such aggressions. Its involvement in over 120 cases of environmental and human rights violations is currently documented in 34 countries.
The Birette plateau is an area of precious biodiversity. It hosts an atypical flora comprising several protected species, including rare species of orchids. It is also of crucial archeological and historical importance. Furthermore, the extracted limestone participates in the colossal CO2 emissions produced by LaFarge Holcim and the cement sector, which is responsible for 12% of the global CO2 emissions. Holcim Switzerland is the company producing the most CO2 territorial emissions in the country.
Since the legal recourses submitted were unable to guarantee the termination of the project, the occupants of the Zone à Défendre (ZAD) de la Colline decided to block it in order to defend the hill’s biodiversity, local farming, cultural patrimony and, more broadly, the climate against the concrete industry. Through their physical occupation of the site, they oppose corporate land-grabbing, the rampant exploitation of resources whose transformation and usage is detrimental to the environment, health and human rights. Additionally, this ZAD seeks to understand and combat the socially and environmentally destructive system of which the company’s extractive project is a part.
Amsterdam: Public announcement of the occupation of Afrin squat
Since the 29th of December 2020, the anarchist organisation for reconstruction of militant proletariat occupied a building in Amsterdam. (the address of the squat will be announced together with the call for an open assembly inside the squat).
Aims and principles & Points of Unity of Afrin Squat Assembly:
All the problems we face today are caused by- and made worse by the existence of the state and capitalism, which serves and protects the interests of the ruling class and the bourgeoisie. While the rich benefit of disaster capitalism and get even richer of the crises, the proletariat has to bare the burden of the crisis and pay for the bailouts of the rich. The real virus is neo-liberalism and the dangerous pandemic is capitalism. We believe nothing is more important than for the struggle to continue, to be in class solidarity with each other and to self organise against all forms of exploitation and authority.
We believe in solidarity and the need for self-defence by any means necessary. Capitalisms needs crises and the state will always use these emergencies, whether it is imperialistic state war or a public health crisis, to increase their power and to suppress self organisation and resistance. The state is the one responsible for any death as a result of the pandemic, as the public health system is gutted, funding for imperialist wars and the military is still increasing.
As long as the state and capitalism exist, safety only exist for the rich and for fascists, and such a word as safety does not have any practical meaning to the oppressed. Social control and suppression created by the state during the pandemic tries to criminalise any type of class solidarity and resistance against the state and capitalism. The social problems such as homelessness, unemployment, poverty and the horrible conditions of immigrants locked up in concentration camps (AZC) are only made worse in these times.
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US: Homeless evictions in Saint Paul
Five encampments in St. Paul [Minnesota] are scheduled to be evicted in the coming weeks, two already have been. @STPCampsHub and local activists have organized an event to raise awareness of the states continued brutality.
When: January 3rd at 2pm
Where: 387 Marion St. St. Paul
Context:
In 1956, after failing to provide electricity, modern plumbing, or municipal services to the immigrant community of Swede Hollow, the City of St. Paul declared the Hollow a health hazard, forcibly evicted families, and burned the neighborhood down. On April 16th of this year, a St. Paul city worker neglected to check a tent before removing it with a utility vehicle, seriously injuring the woman inside. And on National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, the City of St. Paul displaced residents of the Kellogg encampment from their home and from each other.
This approach is in direct contradiction with CDC Guidelines, which state, in part: “[i]f individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.” We contend that shelters wherein residents must share restrooms do not qualify as “individual housing options”, whereas hotel rooms do. If there are currently only 385 hotel rooms available, there are not enough “individual housing options” for every person living outside in St. Paul. And evicting an encampment with an active COVID-19 outbreak will only create further spread.
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Calais: Eviction at Grande-Synthe
8.45am [December 29] in Grande Synthe where an expulsion of refugees is taking place. Two identity checks, impossible to enter the forest where about twenty police entered. They are accompanied by cleaning crews, who tear up the tents to prevent their reuse.There are a lot more these day, the ground is soaked, spongy. One by one, the police destroy the tents where migrants are still sleeping. A Kurdish man hurries out, stuff in hand, heading into the forest. It’s raining, two degrees. Some go quickly, carrying on trolleys what they can save from the blows of the digger. Cops Police officers try to convince them to take the buses, without knowing themselves where these buses go. All the tents and tarpaulins are cut and torn, one by one. A young Kurd from Erbil, annoyed and laughing nervously, takes a pciture of his big orange tent being destroyed, “Oh no, man, don’t touch my house, no, no”
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Zadar (Croatia): Nigdjezemska roof appeal
We invite you to support us in rebuilding the decayed roof of “Nigdjezemska” (“Nowhereland”),which despite our efforts and attempts continues to leak rain while destroying inventory and activities in the concert and performance space of “Nigdjezemska”. The socio-cultural center “Nigdjezemska”is a project of the civic initiative “Nigdjezemska” gathered around a former boiler room and canteen in the military complex Stjepan Radić in Zadar.
At the end of 2012,the initiative had renovated the dilapidated boiler room building with the intention of gathering in an autonomous socio-cultural scene to act and cooperate on the horizontal “Do It Yourself” principles of cooperation and solidarity, while striving for self-sustainability. Nigdjezemska has opened its doors and started the program in the spring of 2015 and began activities such as concerts, discussions and workshops, a free shop, a communal garden, and infoshop library, film screenings and the provision of space, human and technical support to individuals and associations in the field of cultural production.
In this context, we invite you to support us once again, this time in the renovation of the decayed roof of the building of “Nigdjezemska”ie the concert and performance space of “Nigdjezemska” which despite our efforts and attempts continues to leak rain and destroy inventory and activities in the space. After having seeked expert advice, we came to the conclusion that the most optimal solution is to re-raise and replace bitumen-tar strips and metal sheets along the edges of the roof, i.e. a partial restoration of the upper part of the roof.
South Africa: Fire at Cato Crest occupation in Durban
A fire that broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning has left more than 70 families without homes in our Marikana occupation in Cato Crest. Many people were not in their homes when the fire took place at around 5 a.m. today. Many are away in the rural areas with their families who they have not seen for a long time as a result of the lock down. These families will be coming back to ashes in what used to be their homes.
All the families were unable to take out their possessions or save their building materials. They lost everything. Most were away and others, who were at the occupation, could not save their possessions or building material because the fire was so strong. The situation is very difficult at the moment as many people have lost their jobs as a result of the Corona virus lockdown which had a devastating impact on the economy.
Apart from facing the economic decline, job losses and the pandemic we in the shacks are facing fires which leaves us destitute. This is because decent housing and services are not provided. These fires are taking place at a time when we are supposed to be with our families in the rural areas. To us happiness is a dream even at a time when people are in joyous times.
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Hambacher Forest: Information on the arson attack against the vigil of the occupation
Right at the beginning, it should be pointed out that the brief information about the arson attack unfortunately has to rely, in terms of content, primarily on reports from the blogging service “Twitter”. A format unsuitable for serious reporting, which does not nearly meet the criteria for independent media. There, of course, the typical sneering social media comments and fatuous speculations about an alleged orchestration, open expressions of approval and references to the following “begging” for donations are not to be missed. It would make sense if at least the spectrum of activists and supporters who consider themselves anarchist, autonomous, anti-authoritarian, libertarian, or similar, would rely on their own information structures. Twitter cannot replace independent media work with reports in a structured form.
The police investigation is ongoing. The association “Buirer für Buir” has, according to its own statements, informed the executive that Molotov cocktails were discovered at the crime scene and is now hopeful that DNA traces may exist that will contribute to the investigation. The association points out that a vigil is an event in accordance with the right of assembly and that shedding light on the crime would therefore be socially relevant.
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Radar Online Agenda
