Press Release 13 May 2016
Ende Gelände kicked off! +++ Thousands of activists shut down opencast coal mine in Lusatia
13 May 2016; Proschim, Lusatia, Germany. More than 2000 activists from all over Europe have shut down the opencast coal mine *Welzow-Süd* in the Lusatia coal fields. They demand an end to coal now. Many have entered the mine, others are blocking coal trains and conveyor belts transporting coal to the power plants. “Every new tonne of coal that is dug up is one too many. We are hitting the emergency brakes today,” says Hannah Eichberger of the anti-coal network *Ende Gelände* (‘here and no further’). “We won’t leave climate action to governments and corporations any longer. We are taking matters into our own hands now.” To keep global warming below 2C, at least 80 percent of global fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground. Yet, the federal state governments of Brandenburg, Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia plan to continue lignite mining until mid-century. The activists have vowed that the action will continue over the weekend. Ende Gelände is part of the global wave of action „Break Free from Fossil Fuels“ from 3-16 May 2016. Thousands of people in twelve countries across six continents put up resistance against fossil fuels.