Forest Occupation Kelsterbach
Direct actions against the Frankfurt airport extension
Big parts of the forest of Kelsterbach near the Frankfurt airport are in danger of being destroyed – for the new north west runway.
For about ten years it is well-known that the airport company plans to build a new runway. Politically, this project is mainly consensus. Even the green party announced – at a time when they were part of the state government and not in opposition – that they would accept the expansion if there is a ban on night flights. However, about 50 initiatives and nearly all communities around the airport are against the expansion because of the expected rise of fly-over noise.
Almost all forms of protest have not succeeded to withhold the preparations of the building of a new runway. Yet, in a small piece of forest there is still some resistance from dozens of people who take hold of the trees. A group of activists decided to squat the forest of Kelsterbach in may 2008 to stop the extension plans. In the past months, a tent and hut village emerged.
Fraport AG, the company behind the Frankfurt airport, is planning to finish the runway at the end of 2011 and is already taking so-called „preparing measures“ (preliminaries) in the forest. For example they remove brushwoods. They also prepare to relocate several animal species. In the past months, these actions often led to conflicts with activists that tried to stop all preparations for the forest destruction.
About 30-50 people are regularly staying in the forest village. They welcome every help, may it be donations, new inhabitants or just people passing by and showing their solidarity. There’s a cosy vegan people’s kitchen every Friday evening.
The major of Kelsterbach, who has refused the new runway in the past, announced that he can not accept the huts in the forest for legal reasons. Therefore, he has threatened to evict the camp as from 30th November 2008. Come to the camp by the end of November to prevent an eviction or at least make it as costly as possible and squat another part of the forest again! Of course, the eviction can also happen earlier if politics decide so. You can find out what’s going on on our web blog.
Update: They started to cut down the trees in january 2009 and were blocked several times. The camp was evicted in february. The last trees were cut down in september 2009. During the construction work there was a new, smaller camp next to the runway. There was also a number of direct actions. The activists decided to terminate the camp in winter 2010/2011. The runway was brought on line in autumn 2011. Since there was a significant growth of aircraft noise there are now (january 2012) weekly demonstrations of thousands of local people in the airport terminal. You can find more informations about this situation in the Exchange Newsletter number 4 from december 2011.
Aeroplanes and climate change
Air traffic is a major threat to the climate. Carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere is pushing the greenhouse effect even stronger. In 2007, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN-scientist panel) report created a worldwide debate about the urgency of climate protection.
In times of climate change, flight traffic must be reduced, not expanded.
No extension of airports anywhere. No new roads.
For an ecological and social public transport service.
Contact
email: w a l d b e s e t z u n g (at) r i s e u p (dot) n e t