Overview
- Officers launched a large operation at dawn with high‑altitude teams, removed the first protester from the trees, sealed off the area, and secured RWE crews.
- Kerpen requested police assistance to enforce a stay‑away order covering the Manheimer Erbwald, which authorities say is the legal basis for the action.
- Activists occupying the Sündenwäldchen for more than a year vowed to hold out, and they reported one structure cleared and a detention that police had not confirmed.
- RWE says the felling will allow sand and gravel extraction to stabilize embankments for the future Hambach lake and that required permits and species‑protection checks are in place.
- Police and local reports indicated around a dozen to 16 tree occupiers, use of cranes and Höhenretter, discovery of fake explosive‑like items, initial tree cutting at the edge, and an operation likely to run through the day.