Following an eviction notice issued by the German police in the small village of Lützerath in North Rhine Westphalia, climate activists have been facing off with authorities over the prospect of the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine. Activists are occupying the site in protest and are calling into question Germany's ability to fulfil its climate ambitions.
Since the favourable ruling in 2013 to the brown-coal mine expansion, 900 residents of the village which dates back to the 12th century have been relocated. In their place, hundreds of anti-coal protestors are occupying the site in protest at the deal of the German Government with the single largest polluter in Europe – German energy giant RWE.
Protestors are angry over the compromise deal between the governing Green Party and the RWE in light of the 2013 decision to extend the Garzweiler mine, which threatened the future of the many villages surrounding it, including Lützerath.
The Green Party was able to bring Germany's commitment to ending coal production forward by eight years to 2030 – but in return, RWE would be allowed to go ahead with the expansion of coal mining in Lützerath, despite saving the other threatened villages.
Protestors had hoped that the arrival of the Greens in government would help them resist the expansion, but a compromise agreement with RWE seems to have scuppered those plans, with the Greens in the position of having to defend the coal expansion.
Demonstration against the coal mine expansion in Lützerath, Germany. Credit: The Brussels Times / Daniel Kopp
“In Germany, a small village next to a giant coal mine has advanced to become an epicentre of the global struggle for climate justice,” leading German climate activist Luisa Neubauer said on Twitter.
“If RWE gets access to the coal under Lützerath (and burns it), there is barely any chance for Germany to stay in line with its CO2-budget that was agreed to with the Paris Agreement. At the same time, this very coal is not needed for our energy supply,” Neubauer explained.
With the arrival of more climate protestors from outside of Germany, including leading activist Greta Thurnberg, barricades and treehouses were set up in light of the eviction order issued by authorities this week. On Saturday, police continued with their efforts to remove protestors from the site now owned by RWE.
Police fight against protestors
Thousands of people were in attendance on Saturday in the nearby village of Keyenberg for a demonstration against the evacuation of Lützerath. Activists have come from all over Europe, and include hundreds of Dutch, Austrians, Belgians, French and Italians.
Credit: The Brussels Times / Daniel Kopp
"Lützerath is still there, and as long as the coal is still in the ground, this fight is not over," Greta Thunberg said in her speech to cheers from the crowd.
On Saturday, a group of demonstrators had barricaded themselves inside a mine tunnel, according to Bente Opitz of the action group Lützerath Lebt (Lützerath stays). “They have enough provisions to spend several days there. Dozens of activists remain there on rooftops and in trees,” the action group says. The police are guarding the area with hundreds of officers between the activists and the excavation to prevent people from entering it.
As the day went on, groups of activists split off from the large demonstration of at least 20,000 people to stand at the edge of the pit, where lignite is being dug. In the pit, there are all kinds of vehicles belonging to RWE as well as dozens of security guards.
In response to reported provocations, riot police officers mounted numerous charges against protestors and water cannons were deployed. The muddy conditions hindered the ability of the police to carry out their task, and reportedly resorted to heavy-handed tactics in a game of cat-and-mouse. At least three protesters were injured during the day on Saturday.
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Greta Thunberg called the police violence "outrageous" and called for more protests on the site. "When the government and corporations act like this, destroying the environment … the people step up,” she stated.
Greenpeace International, also present at the protest, said in a statement that this was another example of fossil fuel companies destroying our future for short-term profit: "Lützerath is a vivid example of the crimes fossil fuel companies are committing everywhere on the planet".
