Berlin: Police action in Germany against Swedish environmental activist Greta Erman Thunberg. Thunberg was detained by officers during a protest over the mine in the coal village of Lutserath. They were taken into custody along with other activists on Tuesday. He was later released after checking his identity documents. Around 6,000 people joined Thunberg in the protest. The protests point out that the mining is negatively affecting around five villages in Germany.
Thunberg and others were detained by the police while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garsweiler 2, about 9 kilometers from Lutzerath. Thunberg demonstrated with other protesters near the mine. Thunberg protested by squatting in the mining area and was forcibly removed by three policemen.
Thunberg described the mining as ‘a betrayal of the new generation’. Activists said Germany should not mine lignite and instead focus on developing renewable energy. Prior to coal mining, residents were evacuated and the area fenced off. Following this, a protest was started in the area led by environmentalists including Thunberg. The mining operations are owned by the European energy company RWE.
In recent days, the police’s attempt to remove the activists from the village had led to a huge protest. But the protesters, including Thunberg, continued to stage a sit-in on Tuesday. Thunberg and others were taken into custody by the police after the police did not heed the warning to stop the protest in the mining area. Burning coal for energy could undermine the Paris Climate Agreement’s ambition to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the study said.
Story Highlights: Greta Thunberg detained while protesting in Germany