Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined an estimated 6,000 protesters in Germany on Saturday who marched through rain and mud to express their opposition to the expansion of a coal mine.
The demonstrators walked to the village of Lützerath, about 90 minutes outside of Düsseldorf.
The village is to be demolished to make way for the colliery – a move activists say symbolizes Berlin’s failing climate policy.
“This is a betrayal of present and future generations… Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world and must be held accountable,” Thunberg said at a podium after being handed a cardboard sign with the German phrase “Luetzi Stays,” which is an acronym is for the village.
“Germany is embarrassing itself right now,” Thunberg said before the protest began.
Local media reports of clashes between the police and demonstrators who have been occupying the village in western North Rhine-Westphalia for two years to stop the expansion of the energy company RWE.
More than 1,000 police officers in riot gear evicted hundreds of protesters from the village earlier this week, following a decision that allowed RWE to move forward, The Guardian reported.
Demonstrators fight against the expansion of the coal mine. Getty Images
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck told Der Spiegel that Lutzerath was the “wrong symbol” to take a stand on.
“It’s the last place where lignite is mined – not a symbol of more of the same, but of the last frontier,” Habeck said on Friday.
But activists, including Thunberg, said Germany should focus on renewable energy and stop mining more coal.
“The science is clear: we need to keep the carbon in the ground,” Thunberg said.
The 19-year-old climate activist recently made headlines for falling out with seditious influencer Andrew Tate before and after his arrest in Romania over kidnapping and rape allegations.
The online spat began after Tate tagged Thunberg in a post showcasing his 33 cars and asked for her email address so he could brag about the level of pollution his cars cause.
“Yes, please enlighten me. email me at smalld–[email protected],” Thunberg tweeted back in a post that garnered nearly 4 million likes.