Image of the site prior to sabotage. “Militante Ökos haben sich zum Anschlag auf die Seilbahn am Wurmberg bekannt.”
The international ELF presence appears to be on the rise.
Last week it was reported that militant ecologists destroyed parts of a ski lift and an artificial snow production station at the Wurmberg in the Harz region of Germany, declaring themselves to be members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). This marks the first reported action of an ELF cell in German-speaking countries.
Area threatened by ski tourism. “Der millionenteure Ausbau des Skigebiets für den Tourismus wird heftig kritisiert.” (Archivbild)
According to initial police estimates, the damage amounts to around 100,000 euros, primarily by cutting numerous electrical lines. The action aimed at protesting the destruction of a sensitive area for the sake of ski tourism.
Earlier in the month, ELF Moscow had this to say:
“About two weeks ago we torched a tracked excavator at the place where workers were destroying Ismailovo park. The vehicle was parked on the side of the highway, where they were adding more lanes to the road. It took us 3-4 minutes to do the job. We approached. We set up our load of rags, no rush (we targeted spots between the cockpit, engine room and hydraulics in the arm). Added some gasoline and set it on fire. Quickly ran to the opposite side of the street, took our bottles of beer from bags and headed towards the nearby subway station. After about 10 minutes of walking we saw a firefighter brigade (all noisy and flashy) driving to the place of recent ecotage (they would be just in time to save the smoking remains).”
Around that same time the ELF Indonesian Fraction claimed responsibility for a fire at an art school, getting all poetic:
“Culture is the direct mirror of civilization. Culture is but one of the brainwashing processes to make one bow and degrade the wild desires. Culture is not only a batch of values but tools of repression and hegemony…”
Fire at the art school. Sebelumnya, api membakar gedung sekitar pukul 17.30 WIB.
According to news reports, the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. Regardless of whether the ELF set the fire or not, these folks made the most out of it. (Perhaps worth keeping in mind next time something you hate catches on fire!)
But the last line from their communique leaves one hoping that we’ll hear more from them:
“Our only regret is how the fire does not accomplish itself to burn down the whole building because of another of civilization’s helpers: the firefighters, who came in less than one hour to extinguish fires. But it’s not the end or our last action.”
