Coal infrastructure fire – reducing RWE to rubble
During the night of 18 to 19 October, we, several small groups from Lützerath, set fire to three pumps in the vicinity of the village and the Garzweiler 2 open-cast mine.
The pumps are part of the infrastructure of the open-cast mine for which the village of Lützerath is to be destroyed. In the last two years, Lützerath has become a central place of resistance in Germany against the destruction and exploitation of nature and our livelihoods. The attempted eviction of the village is imminent. But Lützerath is not the only village threatened by open-cast mining.
On Monday, 17 October, RWE began clearing trees and demolishing houses in Immerath. Immerath is located within sight, a few minutes away from Lützerath. All inhabitants of the village have been evicted by RWE and large parts have already been destroyed.
With our action we are responding to RWE’s unscrupulous machinations. We are setting a sign of protest and disobedience against the capitalist relations of domination. We will not be lulled by the false promises of politicians and parties.
According to the motto ‘action not words’, we must take environmental and climate protection into our own hands. Therefore, it is necessary to sabotage fossil fuel infrastructure and render it harmless.
We call on people to do the same and to take active action against the state and capital. Intervene in the status quo, disrupt the smooth operation. Remain disobedient, be sand in the gears!
We are aware that this form of action can lead to harsh repression. But we accept this risk, because we have not given up hope yet and we will defend life. We are directly attacking the profiteers of climate change! He who sows the wind will reap the storm.
And so that you don’t have to start from scratch, here are instructions on how to light the pumps 😉
Background on the pumps: There are several thousand pumping stations around the opencast mines in the Rhenish lignite mining area. These pump out the groundwater so that the water does not collect in the pits. Since the opencast mines are several hundred meters deep, the pumps also reach just as deep. This creates a so-called swamp funnel. This is an area where the groundwater is permanently lowered, causing great chaos in the water cycle. This area extends beyond the Rhineland into the Netherlands. As a result, forests, such as the Hambach Forest, dry out in the long term. The pumps thus lead to an ecocide that extends far beyond the dredged areas and ecosystems.
Even more dirty info is explained in this article (German language): https://www.bund-nrw.de/themen/braunkohle/hintergruende-und-publikationen/braunkohle-und-umwelt/braunkohle-und-wasser/
Scouting: Before you start the action, you should take a closer look at the surroundings. In some places around the open-cast mines, the RWE plant security patrols, which is in direct contact with the cops. Plan your arrival and departure carefully, look for possible hiding places. At least one person should keep a lookout during the action.
Material: Crowbar, bolt cutter, spanner, wood, straw, accelerant, storm lighter.
On site: The pumps are often secured with construction fences. If these are locked with a chain, a bolt cutter is suitable for breaking the chain links. Alternatively, the clamps with which the fences are screwed can be opened. This can often be done with a 17 or 19 mm spanner.
On the lower side of the pump control box there are some cables and ventilation slots. Setting a fire underneath the box without breaking down the doors may be an option. However, it is worth breaking open the switch boxes. A crowbar is good for this. In our experience, opening is not particularly loud, but not completely silent either. The closing mechanism of the doors not only closes at the level of the keyhole, but also at the top and bottom of the door. The box contains all the electronics for the pump. So if you want to make sure that the pump is completely rendered harmless, we recommend that you take the time to break open the doors.
To ignite the pump control box, it is a good idea to use fast-burning material. We have used straw, fire accelerant and wooden pallets. This creates a fire that lasts for about 15 minutes. We placed the straw directly underneath and also on the fittings of the broken box itself. We leaned the pallets against the sides of the box. We used two to three pallets for this. Finally, a whole load of fire accelerant (e.g. petrol, lamp/motor oil or barbecue lighter). There is no need to skimp on this, unless of course you have more stations ahead of you 😉
It’s handy to use a storm lighter.
Security: Be aware that you will leave footprints around the pumps. So choose carefully which shoes you wear and dispose of them later if necessary. Tracks can also quickly appear on the construction fences if you get your clothes caught on sharp edges. Don’t leave any tools behind, of course, but be sure to remove any marks beforehand. While fingerprints are easy to avoid, DNA traces can only be avoided by a very professional approach. Make sure that everything you leave at the pump is burnt. ONLY talk about the action with people who were directly involved. Look out for each other, stay together, even if there are confrontations with, for example, the plant security. Talk through all eventualities beforehand. How do you react in a worst-case scenario? Destroy all plans and evidence before the action so that you are prepared for a (house) search.
A report on a similar action in the Hambi area can be found here (German language): https://hambacherforst.org/blog/2019/01/04/make-hambi-a-threat-again-verheizt-rwes-infrastruktur-statt-braunkohle/
For more information on action implementation and safety culture (German language): https://luetzerathlebt.info/soli-aktionen/
source: https://de.indymedia.org/node/234016
translated by Nae Midion