Final act: Special police forces drive up to a tree house on a platform to bring one of the last occupiers down to the ground.
Image: Ben Kilb
The trial against an occupier of the Fechenheim Forest, which was to be cleared for the motorway expansion, has begun at the Frankfurt district court. Neither the defendant nor her supporters in the courtroom show any respect for the court.
EIt's a trial that in some moments is reminiscent of riotous court television shows from the 2000s: On Tuesday morning, the first trial surrounding the occupation of the Fechenheimer Forest began in the Frankfurt district court, almost a year after the area occupied by activists was evacuated. There are only 24 seats in the hall. At the end all the chairs are occupied, some of the spectators – there are around 30 – are sitting on the floor.
A twenty-nine-year-old is charged with trespassing and resisting law enforcement officers. In January 2023, she and other activists occupied trees in the Fechenheim Forest. She had lodged an objection against a penalty order from the district court for 90 daily rates of 60 euros each. According to the indictment, she had clung to a tree about eight meters high and had not complied with repeated requests to leave it voluntarily. She is said to have resisted a SEK officer who climbed into the top of a tree to put a rappelling belt on her and bring her down. She also painted her face black and covered her fingertips to hide her identity.
#Fechenheimer #Wald #Disturbances #trial #occupier
