Greta Thunberg was among the protesters opposing the demolition of the coal village of Lützerath in Germany.
Greta Thunberg was among the environmental activists arrested Tuesday by German police during a demonstration to protest the demolition of the coal village of Lützerath, authorities said, adding that all activists would be released by the end of the day.
The former village, located between Düsseldorf and Cologne, has been the scene of clashes between police and protesters since Saturday, January 14. The police have already tried Wednesday to evacuate anti-coal activists who are determined to defend the village of Lützerath threatened with destruction to allow the expansion of a coal mine.
At the time of her arrest, Greta Thunberg was sitting with other activists in front of the Garzweiler 2 open-pit coal mine, less than ten kilometers from Lützerath. A Portal reporter found that Greta Thunberg, who arrived on Friday to take part in the protest, was placed alone in a large police van following her arrest.
“We will use force to take you to the identity check, so please cooperate,” a police officer told the group, according to footage shot by Portal.
A spokesman for the Aachen police told Portal that “Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed to the corniche. However, it was stopped and transported by us, with this group, away from the immediate danger zone, in order to establish their identity.”
She spent only “a few hours” in police custody. The Swedish activist and other protesters “were transported by bus out of the danger zone”, “their identity was verified, then they were released”, said a spokesman for the local police.