Infrastructure Disruption in the Name of Forest Defense: German Activists Mobilize to Protect Sündi and Hambach Forest
Executive Summary
Environmental and anarchist activists in Germany are calling for a mass mobilization in September and October 2025 to defend the Sündi woodland and the nearby Hambach Forest from anticipated eviction and further coal mine expansion. The call follows years of high-profile resistance against RWE’s lignite operations in the Rhineland, where protests have historically included large-scale occupations, infrastructure sabotage, and direct clashes with police.
Key Judgments
Key Judgment 1
The public call to “join the resistance” at Sündi and Hambach signals a likely escalation in both protest activity and potential confrontation with security forces during the 2025 cutting season.
Evidence: The communique urges activists to converge on-site beginning in September to resist a probable eviction once tree-cutting resumes October 1, mirroring past cycles of mobilization during the Hambach occupation.
Key Judgment 2
Past resistance at Hambach and similar sites has included arson, equipment damage, and direct confrontation with police, indicating that future actions could extend beyond symbolic protest to disruptive or destructive tactics.
Evidence: Between 2012 and 2022, Hambach-related protests saw incidents such as machinery sabotage, barricade construction, stone-throwing, and the use of Molotov cocktails. These were documented in German and international media, as well as in law enforcement reports from eviction operations.
Analysis
The new communique, published via Earth First! Journal and anarchist counter-information channels, frames the defense of Sündi and Hambach as a stand against “industrial expansion” and “state capitalism.” The language—invoking “fire and sedition”—serves both as a rallying cry and a provocation, potentially attracting more militant actors alongside traditional environmental protesters.
Historically, Hambach has been a flashpoint for environmental conflict in Germany. Since its initial occupation in 2012, the forest has seen repeated evictions and reoccupations, each sparking renewed national debate on coal policy and climate action. The 2018 clearance operations involved hundreds of riot police, armored vehicles, and water cannons, and resulted in violent clashes with activists. In some cases, protesters engaged in sabotage of mining equipment and infrastructure, tactics that German authorities have classified as criminal damage or, in extreme cases, terrorism-related offenses.
The Hambach case is emblematic of a broader European trend in which climate activism intersects with anarchist and anti-state movements, blurring the lines between environmental protest and direct action campaigns targeting industrial infrastructure. For security and risk analysis, the critical factors going into autumn 2025 will be the scale of mobilization, the degree of coordination among activist groups, and the state’s response strategy. The cutting season deadline provides a clear flashpoint, raising the probability of concentrated activity within a predictable timeframe.
