In 2018 during the Action Days of the Climate Camp, direct action was taken in which the coal mine Bílina was blocked and occupied for a couple of hours. The action was terminated after a few hours when the police arrested around 280 people. The coal company Severočeské doly (Northbohemian Coalmines) consequently sued 90 people for alleged damage caused by the blockade of the coal mine. Some of those 90 people were accused randomly, including those who were at a wedding at the time of the direct action. It speaks for the absurdity of the case, that among the accused was also a coal company worker, who was wrongly identified as an offender by the police.

We consider it obvious that the efforts of Severočeské doly (Northbohemian Coalmines), a subsidiary of ČEZ (Czech Energy Works; the largest electricity producer in the Czech Republic), are not motivated by missed profit but rather by intimidation and silencing of climate activists. Now, the Court l has ruled in favor of fossil fuels and ordered 83 people to pay for the alleged missed profit in the amount of one million Czech crowns (appr. 39 550 EUR).

The ruling comes at a time when the consequences of the climate crisis are more and more visible – floods, draughts, polluted air and loss of biodiversity are just some of its implications. ČEZ (Czech Energy Works) is participating in solving these issues only on a small scale, in the meantime it attacks those trying to change the situation.

ČEZ (Czech Energy Works) and its subsidiaries have achieved their goal – not only did they claim compensation for damages from people who were not even participating in the blockade, but also imposed, for many, a liquidating financial burden on those who dared to stand up publicly against coal mining. This situation shows us how corporation use the judicial system to force their own interests at the expense of those who are trying to save society from climate collapse.

The irony remains that the lawsuit is coming from a company, that showed record profits in times of energy crisis: in 2022, ČEZ (Czech Energy Works) recorded a net profit of an astronomical 81 billion Crowns and another 29.6 billion Crowns in 2023. Although ČEZ (Czech Energy Works) started investing also in sustainable energy resources in 2018, it is still bullying people who are drawing attention to the consequences of coal mining and burning. What is even worse, this company is financing conferences where people spread misinformation and deny scientific facts about the climate crisis.

It is important to remind ourselves that thanks to similar acts of civil disobedience and in combination with other actions, coal is already over. Less than ten years ago, villages in Czechia were being destroyed for the sake of brown coal mine expansions. Now, it is clear that coal mining and burning will be over in 2033 at the latest. What was unthinkable a couple of years ago is now reality: mining at the ČSA Mine is ending, the Bílina mine will not be expanded and will be closed by 2030 and there is only one working black coal mine in the Ostrava-Karviná region.

Donate and support the accused with us! No amount is too small, any contribution counts. Apart from direct financial support, you can also help by:

- sharing the fundraising campaign with your loved ones and friends
- sharing our posts on social media
- organizing a beneficial event (give us a hit at fundraising@limityjsmemy.cz)
- joining Limity jsme my or your local climate-justice group

One of our core values, that guides us, is solidarity. We believe that together we can raise the entire sum and leave no one behind!

P.S.
If there is a leftover surplus from the fundraising campaign after the alleged damages are paid, the remaining money will be used for further the work of the Limity jsme my legal team and the legal defense of the climate movement.