LUETZERATH, Germany, Jan 17 (Joplin Business Journal) : Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among a group of protesters detained on Tuesday during demonstrations against the demolition of the German coal village of Luetzerath. According to a spokesperson for regional police in Aachen, the entire group of demonstrators will be released later in the day.
The protest took place at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, located about 9 km from Luetzerath. The clearing of the village was agreed upon by RWE, a German energy company, and the government as part of a deal that would allow for RWE’s faster exit from coal and the preservation of five other villages originally slated for destruction. Activists argue that Germany should focus on expanding renewable energy instead of continuing to mine lignite.
Despite the removal of many protesters from the village by riot police and bulldozers, a sit-in protest including Thunberg remained at the site on Tuesday.
Reporting by Abhay Singh and Abhishek Kumar, Writing by Avanish Jaiswal; Editing by Abhishek Yadav