Today ahead of the opening of the COP23 in Bonn Germany 4,500 people from around the world participated in solidarity with Ende Gelande to shut down the Hambacher coal mine.
The ‘It Takes Roots’ delegation was in a group on a higher level of the mine, I’ll post a video and pix of that but much love and respect to our brothers and sisters that made it deeper into the mine. Our efforts collectively shut down a portion of the mine.
Yesterday I live streamed about Ende Gelande which is not the name of the mine but rather the coalition of German environmental groups which formed in 2015 and means “Here and No Further.” They have shut down the mines more than once and will continue to do so until they shut the four RWE mines in the Rhineland region down for good. I was honored to stand in solidarity today in the non violent direct action.
I was triggered by everything from the cops to the helicopters to the tanks and tear gas but it felt oddly good and powerful to be a part of this even if we only shut down a part of the mine for one day because I felt that sense of taking back our power.
Seeing this open pit lignite coal mine tore me up inside and made me weep at the rape taking place of our mother and her liver being ripped out. Many relate the coal to the liver of our mother earth because it’s the natural filter for our water systems. The sheer size of this one mine was overwhelming but stopping this assault, if only for a day felt really powerful and good. #Solidarity #OneFight #KeepItInTheGround #ItTakesRoots #WaterIsLife