This morning police moved in to evict the Lappersfort woodland protest camp in Brugge, Belgium and a number of arrests have already been made. The protesters are calling for urgent support at the site or through solidarity actions at Belgium embassies. About 25 protesters have been living in the 55 acre deciduous forest for over a year and have highlighted national attention on this important area of natural beauty. They have built tree houses and a protective fort to resist today’s eviction.

The city Mayor who served the eviction papers last Thursday, plans to destroy the forest to make way for a 4 lane highway and an industrial estate. The controversial plans have even met opposition from the Ministry of Environment that has been looking to purchase the land in order to preserve the natural habitat. However the owner company, a subsidiary of Tractabell, is demanding a high price for the forest. The Ministry of Environment will soon decide whether it will buy the woodland but in the meantime the eviction of the protest camp would be a big setback that needs help.

The camp is walking distance from Brugge train station and near Oostende.