Ende Gelände
(EG) (German saying for "here and no further"; literally "end terrain" or "end of terrain") is a civil disobedience movement occupying coal mines in Germany to raise awareness for climate justice. Ende Gelände has been organizing mass civil disobedience actions against coal mines in Rhineland, Lusatia and Leipzig since 2015. Since 2017, it has participated in civil disobedience protests against coal mining and fracking in Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. It supports Venice's movement against big cruising ships. Annual protests in Germany have been attended by between and participants. It regularly supports anti-racist rallies in Germany and has hosted a range of smaller local protests since 2018. Organization Ende Gelände was founded by a broad alliance of anti-coal groups, grassroots climate action groups, large environmental organizations, left-wing groups and others. Big organizations like Fridays For Future, Greenpeace and Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland have expressed solidarity with the movement. It has evolved from an alliance into a movement in its own right with the emergence of independent local groups since 2017. In 2020, it has 50 local groups in Germany and nine more throughout Europe (Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic). The now international movement meets roughly once a month in different cities in Germany. Discussions are usually simultaneously interpreted into English. Newsletters and communication at the climate camps are mostly translated into English or other European languages. It has 19 working groups on topics such as setting up the camp, press relations, finances, legal matters etc. EG is not part of an NGO and does not receive regular funding. It is supported by a vast network of volunteers, many of them organized in other movements like the legal team that supports all those facing legal consequences of acts of civil disobedience. EG is not legally registered in Germany and therefore cannot be financially supported by most NGOs. Its press speakers mostly use pseudonyms, though some people work with their real names. EG is one of the largest self-organizing environmental groups. Its decision making and self-organization culture is generally seen as a key factor in its endurance. COVID-19 Protests in 2020 were delayed until late September due to the insecure COVID-19 pandemic situation. EG used a system with decoded lists to register participants and allow for backtracking of people, while making sure authorities could not obtain lists with names. Methods Ende Gelände has been blocking coal infrastructure once or twice a year with one large event. Its "forms of action are openly announced blockades of fossil infrastructure, such as coal and gas." In the tradition of peaceful civil disobedience, it defies the law of trespassing by walking into coal mines and ignoring calls to cease issued by authorities. In its "action consensus" it says "We will remain calm and level-headed; we will not endanger people. We will block and occupy with our bodies. It is not our aim to destroy or damage infrastructure. We will not be held back by structural obstacles. We