ERKELENZ, Germany —Protests On Saturday, tens of thousands of people showed up in the pouring rain to protest the clearing and destruction of a community in western Germany so that a coal mine could be built. There were clashes with police as demonstrators attempted to approach the mine’s edge and the community itself.
Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist, joined the protesters as they walked through the nearby town of Keyenberg and past muddy fields to protest the clearing of Luetzerath. Protesters shouted, “Every village remains,” and “You are not alone.”
Organizers said 35,000 people attended, while authorities estimated up to 10,000. Police reported on the sidelines of the protest that people broke over their barriers and entered the Garzweiler coal mine.
Those who attempted to reach the mine’s edge were driven back. According to the German news agency DPA, police used water cannons and batons on hundreds of protesters who made it that far outside Luetzerath, which is now gated off.
Protests Use Excessive Force
Some demonstrators have complained about the use of excessive force during the protests and the scale of the police reaction this week. Meanwhile, police reported that some demonstrators had thrown pyrotechnics at cops.
Thunberg said that the future of Luetzerath and the growth of the mine are more important than just for Germany.
“What everyone does matters” in the worldwide fight against climate change, shortly before the demonstration. “And if one of the greatest polluters, like Germany, and one of the biggest historical CO2 emitters does something like this, it affects everyone — especially those facing the brunt of the climate catastrophe.”
Clearances Issued
The clearance of Luetzerath was well underway at the time of the demonstration.
On Wednesday morning, the operation to evacuate climate protests activists holed up in the village began. According to authorities, approximately 470 persons departed the location in the first three days of the operation, 320 of them voluntarily.
On Friday afternoon, they said that there were no longer any activists in the remaining buildings or on their roofs. They told DPA on Saturday that they still had to get past 15 “structures” like tree huts and were trying to get into a tunnel where they thought two people were hiding. Building demolition was already in progress.
SOURCE – (AP)
