Protests Continue in Hambach Forest Over Tree House Evictions

Protests continued in Hambach Forest, west of Cologne in Germany, on Monday, September 17, in response to the eviction of activists who have been living there in tree houses.

Police</a> entered the forest on September 13 and began clearing it</a> and removing the tree houses, citing safety concerns.

The activists built the camp in order to block the expansion of a nearby brown coal mine and have been living in them for the past six years.

Deutsche Welle reported that the RWE energy company, which owns the forest, intends to clear some 100 hectares (247 acres) of land to expand the nearby Hambach mine, already Europe’s biggest open pit coal mine.

Police detained 14 activists on Sunday. Credit: @arno2709 via Storyful