Many people are vistiting us in the park. Most of them really like our action. People who live nearby let us use their tabs and showers, others bring cake and coffee, quite a few spontaneously donate money. All kinds of different people come to the park: Old ladies, parents with children or young people. And we have not even been advertizing our squat very much yet. We've put up a letterbox and somebody has already tried to send us a postcard (BOEMischE Doerfer GmBh, Konrad-Guenther-Park, 79117 Freiburg, Germany - you can help us very much, if you send a postcard, too exp if you are from other countries than Gremany. That will show that we have international support!).
A 60 year-old man comes and tells us of previous activities to protect the park we are in. "If I were young, I would go up there, too", he exclaims. He gives us a mandate to protect these trees for him. "And if they try to cut down this tree, i will maybe still come and sit in front of it".
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As I climb up slowly, the night is falling. It is dark and quiet all around me. The moon is rising, the light is silver-blue. I am climbing higher and higher. The dark branches and leaves are all around me. I reach the platform. Adi is there. He shows me how to fix my rope system in the tree and how to move on the platform. It is a magical night. We eat and talk quietly. Below us the camp is meeting and discussing something. Sometimes we hear sentences or laughter. We are just sitting in the mighty tree and ejoying the night. After a while I get used to the height and dare to move more freely. Always checking the security of course. When it gets too cold, we take out our sleeping bags and lie down. A pile of rope is my pillow and the sky is my tent. About 20 m above the ground, I fall asleep.
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The night had been stormy and with two people per 70 cm wide platform we did not get too much sleep. We know that they will not start picking us out of the trees until it gets light. Probably it will still take several hours until they have removed all the people on the ground. The weather is bad, the ropes are wet which makes the climbing more difficult. "The weather is our ally", Roman says "We are used to climbing in the trees, they will be more af5raid than we are." I hope so. The 3 of us cuddle up together and try to relax. Best would be to sleep some more. We will need our power later. It is good to feel the others. I forget the spooky scenes on the ground and try to sleep.
The action is going on well. It's absolutely peaceful, there is no hectic. People have chained themselves to the trees in the pouring rain. Others are singing around the campfire: "Stop the road". The police has surrounded the area. there are rumours about more than thousand police. Behind the ring of police, other people are gathering. "Stay up there! Stay up there!", they are shouting. We shout: "How many are you". It shouts back: "We are many!". We hear that some of our friends in town have blocked one of the main roads.
The spirit is great. It has stopped raining, but the wind is still blowing like hell. Below us the musicians are singing as if their life was at stake. The music is comning up strong. This has totally calmed us down. Some people have made spaghetti. People are feeding the ones who are chained to the trees. Somebody says: "This is the greatest party, I've ever had!"
The police has moved closer. People are chanting: "Let the trees live." They announce to remove us. The vouices are rising. The singing is so loud that it is almost impossible to hear the megaphone. An old lady is coming from outside and starts debating with the police. She wants to come in. They won't let her. She is taking out a camera and starts taking pictures. The activists are still singing. Somebody is offering a candle to the head of police. He takes it and reminds us of our peacefulness. the chant goes on: "Piece for piece you want to destroy what keeps us alive." More people come together with a camera team and offer the police candles. They take them and look embarrassed, not really knowing what to do with them. Right in this moment the sun comes up. And i feel that it is right what i am doing here.
The singing goes on for baout half an hour or so. Nobody from the police starts to carry us away. They just can't. The symbol is so strong. Finally they get units from outside who have not heard the chanting. They start carrying away the first people.
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BÖHMschE Dörfer GmBh - Gemeinschaft mit Baumhäusern
last change: December, 2nd 1996