Chainsaw Crews Clear Disputed German Forest Where Activists Remain Camped

The sounds of chainsaws could be heard in videos captured by activists in a forest west of Cologne on September 14, where protesters have camped for six years in opposition to plans to expand a nearby coal mine.Police entered the forest a day earlier after authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia ordered the clearance, citing safety concerns, Deutsche Welle said.The activists built the tree houses in Hambach Forest to block to expansion of a nearby open-cast brown coal mine.

The expansion, by energy company RWE, would involve the clearing of 100 hectares (247 acres) of forest, Deutsche Welle said.

Credit: Hambacher Forst via Storyful