On 8th August, on the 583rd day of the occupation of section 219a, uniformed forces – border guards, forest guards and criminal police – invaded Nora, and began a violent eviction of the camp. They took advantage of the moment when a large number of people, including non-Polish visitors, was attending an open skillshare&careshare event in the camp. The occupants were violently handcuffed and detained by the police.
The cops claim to have found drugs in Nora. They had made a similar claim here a week earlier, when they searched one of the on-ground inhabited structure and the private belongings of the person who was staying there at the time. No drugs were found at the time. Despite this, the services came back with the same suspicion, a clear indication that the “drugs” are only a pretext to pacify the protest.
We strongly deny the accusations of the uniformed services. We do not possess nor use any substances other than generally available medical drugs. We are here to protect the naturally valuable forest from the destructive and predatory exploitation known as forest management, not for partying and recreational purposes. In our camp kitchen, which had been destroyed and hauled away with heavy-duty equipment, there was a handbook displayed which clearly stated that we do not recommend the use of stimulants (“3.5. Drugs. We recommend no use of alcohol or drugs, this is an area of permanent protest. Smokers please be considerate of those around you and ask permission to smoke in their company”).
More than 20 people were violently detained during the eviction. Physical force was used against them, they were threatened with weapons, handcuffed and taken out of the forest and were denied the right to take their private belongings, including medicines. Some of the people were on the aerial structures, but the services, using violence and threatening to use pepper spray, took them all down. Lacking the necessary skills, cops asked for support from the fire brigade and mountain rescue services, who helped evict the highest structures.
The occupants were taken to the police station and kept there for many hours; some spent the night deprived of their liberty. The last person was not released until the late evening of 9th August. No one was charged, which makes it more clear that the argument of drug possession was merely a pretext for getting rid of the people protecting the forest.
At the time the cops entered the camp there were also three dogs present who are now safe and looked after.
While people were being detained, some of the uniformed services started to destroy the structures that had been our home and shelter for over 20 months. The structures that we had built together were cut up and taken out of the forest by the vehicles that are normally used for logging. The camp site was cordoned off by the cops, who threatened whoever came to see what was happening in Nora with guns.
On 9th August, machines drove into the separation ready for logging. The cutting in the section itself has not begun, however, it is apparent that the loggers are ready to start work.
All people detained in Nora have received legal support, for which we need financial support. We also need people on the ground and media support all the time. We call for solidarity actions in all corners of so-called Poland and the world. Free forests for all creatures!
