Ottendorf-Okrilla (dpa/sn) – The clearing of the Heidebogen forest near Ottendorf-Okrilla north of Dresden is imminent. The Saxony police announced on Wednesday morning that the inspection of the forest by representatives of the Bautzen and Sachsenforst district office had been completed. “Due to non-compliance with conditions, the meeting in the forest was ended by the meeting authority,” the police tweeted. The activists in the camp could join the vigil. According to a dpa reporter on site, the first barricades have already been cleared.

In the Heidebogen – called Heibo in local parlance – climate activists and nature conservationists have been holed up for about a year and a half to protest against gravel mining. According to the current legal situation, a 7.5-hectare piece of forest is to be cleared for this purpose by the end of February. The police operation is intended to secure both the demonstrations and the forestry work. Both could possibly also take place in parallel. The police suspect 50 to 60 people in the camp.