In the early morning hours of May 23/ 2021, we decided to take a leisurely spring walk and put a stop to shitty extractivist capitalism.
We took some tools and broke a conveyor belt at the coal mine in Nochten. It was surprisingly easy to do. We are outraged by the destruction in the name of profit and power by LEAG and the so-called government that gave them permission. We are no longer willing to wait for a big spark to start the revolution. Nor can we afford to wait while our planet and people die from the consequences of climate change.
For the death of capital and the reclamation of our lives!
Coal is death Sabotage is fun!
How to do it
The Open Pit: In the front area of the open pit, there are many wooded areas where you can hide. In the middle of the western front edge there is a path into the pit. On the other sides of the pit it is not so easy to get in, because the edge is too steep to climb down safely.
The conveyors: there are several conveyors for the sand and for the coal. When you enter the pit, you will immediately encounter the belt that transports the sand. For more damage, it would be better to attack the coal belt, but the one outside the pit is well guarded by security guards and cameras, making it hard to escape safely. To reach the coal belt inside the pit, you have to go all the way to the bottom.
The belt is made of rubber and 100 steel wires that are 7mm in diameter. You can use a Stanley knife to cut through the rubber (bring spare blades). To reach the steel wires in the middle of the belt, you need to remove the rubber on the side, top and bottom. To do this, cut into the rubber at a 45-degree angle, then lift the tab with a flat screwdriver and grab and pull it with combination pliers or pinchers. At the same time, cut further into the rubber. This will allow a layer of the rubber to be removed. Once the steel wires are exposed, they can be cut with bolt cutters. Repeat this process until you are satisfied with the destruction you have caused.
We hope this technique is widely used along with other tactics to take these machines out of service.
Timing: on weekends, there’s a good chance the conveyor belt won’t run at night. But there’s no reliable schedule, so you’ll need to check before you enter the pit.
Safety: there are very few security vehicles in the pit and even fewer in the front of the pit. Also, you can see them from far away since it is a wide open space. If they approach, you should hide on the other side of the conveyor belt. The machines are brightly lit at night, which makes the shady spots in between perfect for hiding.
Aside from the conveyor belts, there are many other possible targets. In the front part of the open pit, there are many large yellow machines standing around completely unguarded. Hitting the really big machines in the pit would really do a lot of damage, please let everyone know if you know how to do that.
Our actions may not bring down the state tomorrow, but they do allow us a piece of sanity and self-confidence that has been stolen from us. They remind us that the state is not as all-knowing or all-powerful as it would have us believe.
We have found freedom and power in the assault of the night and call on all anarchists, autonomists and insurgents to be dangerous to anything that wages war against our bodies, the earth and our own lives. Take the night for yourself and attack, destroy their machines, smash their wealth, slash their tires. Attack and remind them of our presence.
