German police removes Greta Thunberg from anti-coal mine protest site in Lutzerath

Prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has been participating in a protest against the expansion of a coal mine in a German town, was forcibly removed from the site by authorities. According to The Independent, which cited local newspaper Bild, German police ejected Thunberg and ten other protesters from the area.

Prior to leaving the site at 5:10 pm, Thunberg had joined thousands of protesters who had gathered in Lutzerath on Saturday to stop the town from being razed down due to a large coal mine. In a bid to control the protests, police were deployed to Lutzerath, which is situated in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. Thunberg said that the German government striking a deal with the mine’s owner was a “shameful” act.

“Germany is really embarrassing itself right now. I think it’s absolutely absurd that this is happening the year 2023. The most affected people are clear, the science is clear, we need to keep the carbon in the ground,” the Swedish activist said. “When governments and corporations are acting like this, are actively destroying the environment, putting countless pf people at risk, the people step up,” she continued.

Greta Thunberg sends strong message to German government

“It’s very weird to see the German government, including the Green party, make deals and compromise with companies like RWE, with fossil fuel companies, when they should rather be held accountable for all the damage and destruction they have caused,” Thunberg said, conveying a message to the German administration. 

“My message to the German government is that they should stop what’s happening here immediately, stop the destruction, and ensure climate justice for everyone,” she said. 

The German hamlet of Lutzerath, which lies about 20 miles west of Dusseldorf, has been the epicenter of climate protests that sparked due to its open-cast lignite coal mine, Garzweiler II. The mine’s expansion remains a controversial issue, with activists criticising it for being the most environmentally toxic type of coal.

“It’s such an absurd and catastrophic scenario that Germany, the country where everyone else thinks we have green [policies], is destroying a village to burn coal in the middle of the climate crisis,” said Dresen, a protester. Another campaigner criticised Germany’s Green party for allowing the mine’s expansion. “I think the Greens, faced by very difficult decisions, took the wrong turn and de-prioritised climate policy.”