Production at a facility was suspended for a day due to a blockade, resulting in an estimated loss of €200,000 for KNDS.
The second blockade occurred in Mülheim, targeting Europipe, the largest pipeline producer in Europe. Activists numbering in the hundreds occupied the railway tracks leading to Europipe’s factory, which supplies pipes for LNG infrastructure such as North Sea oil and gas extraction, Nord Stream, Nord Stream II, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and the Trans Anatolic Pipeline (TANAP).
Decommissioned
Train services were cancelled, causing production delays. Activists displayed a large banner on Europipe’s building with the message “exit gas now”.
The third blockade involved transporting solar panels to the construction site of a new gas-fired power plant in Scholven. This location was formerly the site of a coal-fired power plant, decommissioned in 2023 following extensive actions by Ende Gelände against coal since 2015.
Uniper is transitioning from coal to gas, having already constructed one gas-fired power plant in 2024 and now building another. Activists used solar panels to power an inflatable figure resembling Katherina Reiche, the German minister of economic affairs.
The fourth blockade blocked access to the Voerde power plant in Dinslaken. RWE plans to construct a new fossil gas-fired power plant on the site by 2030, following a similar transition at Scholven and other decommissioned coal plants across Germany.
Intensification
The fifth and final blockade targeted a gas power plant construction site. Activists displayed a banner reading: “Gas is violence.” The plant, once operational, will use fracked gas, which is linked to significant environmental harm and neocolonial exploitation in extraction areas.
This climate camp marked the first major action camp by Ende Gelände since 2022, when the group began a regional focus with the goal of organizing five annual actions against climate injustice sites. During these years, a yearly ‘system change’ climate camp was also held each summer.
Although challenging to maintain, these regional clusters facilitated mobilizations against the coal industry in Lützerath in January 2023; the international gas industry conference in March 2023; the car industry in Munich in September 2023; the gas industry in Rügen in September 2023; a Tesla factory near Berlin in May 2024; action weeks against gas in autumn 2024, and blockades of AfD party conferences.
A central issue for Ende Gelände and the broader radical left in Germany has been the situation in Gaza, particularly following the escalation of violence against Palestinians by Israel after October 7, 2023. The pro-Palestinian stance has gained prominence in both Ende Gelände and Berlin after extensive discussions.
Shifted
This remains a significant generational divide within the German left, with younger organizers generally supporting Palestinians and older Gen X organizers often maintaining Zionist views, sympathizing with the Israeli state.
The decision to prominently display the Palestinian flag at the climate camp highlights a notable ideological shift towards supporting Palestinians among Ende Gelände supporters.
Many internationalist organizers have worked diligently with younger activists to foster this change. It was crucial to align with the Palestinian cause and acknowledge that the German left had been marginalized globally for its stance on Israel’s actions.
“It is because of internationalism, the debate has shifted around Israel/Palestine in Germany,” stated a speaker at an all-camp plenary in the circus tent during the climate camp.
This Author
Alice Swift has been an anti-capitalist climate activist for 16 years. She co-founded Fossil Free UK and is completing her PhD on the European climate camp movement at The University of Manchester.
This article is published through the Ecologist Writers’ Fund. We ask readers for donations to pay some authors £250 for their work. Please make a donation now. More information about the fund and application details are available on our website.
