Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (20) surprisingly appeared again on Sunday afternoon at the edge of the open pit lignite mine near Lützerath. A dpa reporter reported that she participated in a spontaneous demonstration and sang and danced with other climate activists.
She was bundled up in a hat and hooded jacket. A police spokesman said Thunberg briefly sat on a wall at the edge of the mine. For their own safety, the police asked them to come off the wall.
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When she didn’t, the cops carried her a few steps further. The same happened harmoniously. The Swedish climate activist then went her own way.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg (2nd from left) stands with other activists between Keyenberg and Lützerath under police guard in the open pit mine and dances. © dpa / Federico Gambarini
Eviction completed on Sunday
According to their own statements, the police in Lützerath had already removed all remaining activists from tree houses and trees. “Now it’s just the two of them left in the tunnel,” said a police spokesman.
Batons here, pyrotechnics there How the police in Lützerath briefly lost control
The evacuation of the village of Lützerath started on Wednesday. Climate activists occupied the abandoned village to avoid demolition and subsequent planned dredging of coal below.
Activists accuse police of excessive violence
Protest organizers accused the police of excessive violence. A “high two- to three-figure number” of participants were injured, a spokeswoman for the protesters’ paramedic service said on Sunday.
Among them there were many seriously injured and some seriously wounded. The injuries were caused, in part, by pepper spray, batons and police punches. There were many head injuries.
Stolen letter – “NRW E” “Lützi is alive” is written from “NRW EU” on the panel of the North Rhine-Westphalia state representation in Berlin
“So the police not only hit activists over the head in individual cases, but systematically,” the spokeswoman said. Thousands of people took part in the demonstration against the demolition of the village of Lützerath for coal mining on Saturday. According to police estimates, there were 15,000, according to the organizers, at least 35,000.
Lützerath Lebt/Occupiers holds a press conference on Sunday at Camp Keyenberg. © Photo: Thomas Banneyer/dpa
A spokeswoman for the activist group “Lützerath Leben” also raised serious accusations against the police. At Saturday’s demonstration, there was “an unbelievable level of police violence”, she said.
One person from the ranks of the demonstrators was taken to the hospital in a life-threatening condition. The procedure for the evacuation of Lützerath itself was rabid and relentless.
NRW State Police Union (GdP) President Michael Mertens rejected criticism of the police’s behaviour. “The police enforce the law,” said Mertens of the German Press Agency. “And if communication no longer helps, unfortunately situations like yesterday arise. Nobody wants that, but it is simply essential to comply with the order that the police have.”
Unfortunately, people on both sides were injured in clashes between police and protesters. However, activists now spread “legends” in this context. Nothing is known about a rescue helicopter mission. The officers “did an excellent job in difficult conditions,” Mertens said.
The Lützerath operation under the direction of Aachen Police Chief Dirk Weinspach has a general “exemplary character” to it. For example, he had never seen such a transparent operation where all media representatives had access anywhere at any time, Mertens said. From the beginning, Weinspach relied on a de-escalation concept that left plenty of room for peaceful protests against lignite mining.
70 police officers injured – many twisted on muddy ground
The police, for their part, reported more than 70 officers injured. A police spokesman said most of them were injured during protests by coal opponents on Saturday.
The injuries were only partly due to the violence of the protesters. Some of the officers, for example, also twisted their ankles on the muddy ground.
“It’s a miracle there haven’t been any deaths here,” the spokeswoman said. The police deny this allegation and say they will proceed with extreme caution.
View of the open pit mine in Lüzerath. © action press / Photo: CHARLES M. VELLA / SOPA
The village of Lützerath, a district of Erkelenz west of Cologne, has been cordoned off by police for days and surrounded by a double fence. The few buildings in the settlement will be demolished to allow energy company RWE to excavate the lignite underneath.
After the big demonstration in Keyenberg, other actions are planned
The organizers and activists of the big rally on Saturday near Lützerath have meanwhile announced new protests against the demolition of the village and the generation of energy from lignite. At a press conference on Sunday, representatives of “Ende Gelände”, “All Villages Remain” and “Fridays for Future” recognized the participation of tens of thousands of people in the protest around Lützerath as a sign of hope for the climate treasure in Germany and worldwide.
Police officers lead a climate activist in Lützerath from the scene. © dpa/Federico Gambarini
In the coming week, other peaceful actions “with the full range of civil disobedience” are expected to take place, including a day of action on January 17. Darya Sotoodeh of “Fridays for Future”, Christopher Laumanns of “All Villages Remain” and Charly Dietz of “Ende Gelände” voiced strong criticism of the NRW black-green state government. They must stop the eviction.
“The government is alone,” Laumanns said. The majority of the population no longer wants lignite mining. The destruction of Lützerath was a “disgrace for Germany”, especially for the Greens.
The organizer demands an apology from the Greens and an end to the eviction
Dietz demanded that the Greens stop the eviction and apologize to the people for the suffering they caused. Laumanns referred to the demand of 500 scientists for a moratorium, as the knowledge was clear: “Blignite is not necessary”.
Organizers called the mass demonstration and previous actions around Lützerath a turning point. It has been demonstrated that people no longer want the “old contracts” with politicians, they are asking for the exit of fossil energy production and will no longer accept evictions or demolitions.
Organizers emphasize peaceful protest as consensus action
No matter what happens to the evacuated and largely demolished city of Lützerath, resistance will continue, they announced. Iza Hoffmann, from the paramedic team of the organizers of the demonstration, spoke about the high number of injured protesters in the range of “two to three digits” and criticized the unnecessary violence of the police.
More on the subject:
Luisa Neubauer zu Lützerath “The RWE agreement shatters our climate goals” Climate researcher Friederike Otto “We have an incredible number of ways to prevent harm” How sensible is removal? “The protest in Lützerath is purely symbolic”
Demonstration organizers stressed that they stand for a peaceful and diverse protest as a consensus for action. In light of the people who went to the edge of the demolition independently on Saturday, away from the approved demonstration, Laumanns said of the “All Villages Remain” initiative that it was “an impressive and necessary action”.
He has “complete understanding” for this. The spokeswoman for “Ende Gelände” says there is a very wide range of civil disobedience – the consensus includes non-violence. Individuals would resort to other means “out of anger”. There were clashes with the police on the edge of the cliff. (dpa)
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