Interview with Har Pluijmakers – initiator of Red het Sterrebos
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“Don’t walk on the lawn!” Every time Har has to tell the newcomers that the grass has just been sown. He has received many with open arms in his home in Susteren, a stone’s throw from the Sterrebos. “It is quite hectic, but it is also cozy” says Har about the fact that his house turned into an action center of the forest occupiers in a short time.
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Har Pluijmakers is almost 71 and has lived in the municipality of Susteren all his life. He has been active as an amateur ornithologist since he was twenty. This is how he came to the Sterrebos, “a forest very dear to me”, where he makes an inventory of the birds of prey several times a year. The forest is home not only to the buzzard and the honey buzzard, but also to many other birds and, of course, to the fox, deer and badger. “Almost nowhere in the Netherlands will you find a forest like this. The age, the monumental oaks, the low undergrowth…”
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When he heard about VDL’s plans to cut down the Sterrebos more than a year ago, he was very concerned. He sent an e-mail to Groenfront, whom he knew from the successful occupation of the Schinveld forest in 2005 – 2006. That’s how the ball started rolling, and now Har, together with activists from all over the country, came to form the core of Red het Sterrebos.
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Har himself is already a bit too old to climb the tree, but he fully supports the tactics of the forest protectors. “We tried all other means first, of course. Demonstrations, petitions, mobilization and creating support.” That support base, by the way, has worked out just fine. Har speaks to many neighbors and people in the village, who support the action. People from the neighborhood also offer all sorts of things: places to sleep, food, supplies, and donation money for the campaign.
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Despite the fact that there are now only two forest protectors hanging in the tree, Har still hopes for a good outcome of the action. “There is so much going on right now around the Sterrebos. The province or VDL itself, they must surely listen to this. Surely another solution is possible other than cutting down this forest?”, says Har, while making another cup of coffee for a newly arrived activist.