Climate protests are continuing in Germany over the expansion of an open-pit coal mine in the village of Lützerath in western Germany. On Tuesday, police detained Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg for the second time this week.
Three officers dressed riot gear were seen carrying her away after she joined other activists attempting to block the front of the coal mine. Thunberg tweeted earlier today, “Climate protection is not a crime.”
Thunberg had been the main speaker at the rally on Saturday and had “surprisingly” returned to protest on Sunday when she was arrested the first time and then again on Tuesday.
Police said the group detained on Tuesday would be released later in the day, Reuters reported.
Since earlier in the week, German police had removed hundreds of activists from Lützerath. Some have been at the site for more than two years.
Thunberg joined thousands of other activists and protesters taking part in weekend demonstrations against the razing of the German village that would make way for an expansion of the Garzweiler lignite coal mine, which is owned by European energy giant RWE. Once the eviction is complete, RWE plans to build a 1.5-kilometer perimeter fence around the village, sealing off the village’s buildings, streets and sewers before they are demolished.
“We need to stop the current destruction of our planet and sacrificing people to benefit the short-term economic growth and corporate greed,” she said.
More than 1,000 police officers have been involved in the eviction operation. Most of the village’s buildings have now been cleared and replaced with excavating machines.
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