Opposite the village of Lützerath, in the Rhine lignite mining area, there were clashes between climate protesters and German police on Saturday. Police officers used water cannons and batons. A police spokesman said “immediate coercion” would have to be used to stop protesters from advancing to Lützerath. The small town of Lützerath, west of Cologne, has been cordoned off by police for days and surrounded by a double fence.
The few buildings in the settlement in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia are being demolished to allow energy company RWE to dig out the coal underneath. On the other hand, many thousands of people protested in the neighboring neighborhood of Keyenberg on Saturday, despite constant rain and strong gusts of wind. The police spoke of 10,000 participants, the organizers estimated the number at 35,000.
Some of the demonstrators tried to reach Lützerath or the open pit mining area. The police forcibly pushed them away. Police warned that it was life-threatening to walk to the edge of the mine because the ground had softened from the rain and there was a risk of landslides. “I am absolutely appalled at the way in which normal meeting participants allow themselves to be led into the area of absolute danger,” said Aachen police chief Dirk Weinspach.
car attacked
According to police, individual protesters also attacked police patrol cars and threw pyrotechnics in the direction of officers. It was said that nothing could be said about arrests and injuries.
A spokesperson onstage at the rally had already explicitly urged demonstrators to ignore police instructions. He thinks it’s legitimate for participants to try to enter isolated Lützerath, he said: “Don’t let the police stop you. We are powerful. We are on the side of justice. We will not let this repressive system stop us. We are stopping this mine. Do what you can. you feel right.”
Greta Thunberg on site
The main speaker at the rally was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. “Lützerath is still there, and as long as the coal is still in the ground, this fight is not over,” said the 20-year-old to applause from the crowd. It is incomprehensible to her that coal is still being mined and burned in 2023, even though the climate change caused by this is known to be costing human lives in many parts of the world. “Germany, as one of the biggest polluters in the world, has a huge responsibility,” warned Thunberg.
In an interview with the German Press Agency, the world-famous activist criticized the Greens for their support for the demolition of Lützerath. Corporations like RWE should be held accountable for how they treat people. “The fact that the Greens make concessions with these companies shows where their priorities lie,” said Thunberg.
Police continue eviction
In the meantime, the evacuation continued in Lützerath itself. Emergency services climbed the trees that activists persevered with. According to the energy company RWE, preparations were also underway to extract two activists from a tunnel. “The forces are very careful, no heavy equipment can be used here because that would endanger people in underground soil structures,” said police chief Weinspach. The demolition of already deforested buildings also continued on Saturday. Among them was the former home of farmer Eckardt Heukamp. He had been the last farmer in Lützerath.
Thunberg had already visited Lützerath on Friday and denounced “police violence”. Police Chief Weinspach vehemently rejected this charge. When asked if she stood by her criticism of the police, Thunberg told dpa: “Police violence means different things in different countries. But there have been several instances where the police have endangered the lives of activists.”
Germany’s Green Youth also criticized the police’s actions. “The reports we received from the village cannot be justified,” said Nicola Dichant, spokesperson for the Green Youth in North Rhine-Westphalia. “Images of police operations that massively endanger activists, paramedics being driven out of the village by the police and the press not allowed to observe. This is the opposite of a de-escalation operation.” (Portal)