First modification:
The coordinators of the demonstration estimated the attendees at about 35,000, however, the German police reduced the figure to almost half. Activist Greta Thunberg joined the protests at the site. It is believed that under the municipality there is a reserve of 110 million cubic meters of coal.
Outrage and clashes with law enforcement. These are two key factors that are observed in the midst of the demonstrations that try to stop the demolition of the town of Lützerath to the west of Cologne, in Germany. The reason for the eviction is the expansion of a coal mine.
According to protest organizers, at least 35,000 people, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, attended their call, while police put them at at least 15,000.
According to the German news agency DPA, quoted by AP, the clashes reached breaking point when the uniformed officers used riot control means such as water cannons and batons to drive away the protesters who reached Lützerath.
The protesters accused the police of improper use of force, including the scale of the operation, a response that the authorities justify due to the damage caused to the patrols stationed in the area and the firing of fireworks by the discontents.
The town is empty. The last resident of the village left last year, after being forced to sell his plot to the public company RWE. The fight of those who try to draw attention to the destruction of Lützerath goes further: to stop global warming, to which coal exploitation contributes.
However, the German government indicates that it cannot afford to lose the ‘treasure’ that lies beneath the town. According to studies carried out, some 110 million tons of mineral can be extracted. According to the Government, this reserve is key to guaranteeing the country’s energy security.
The minister-president of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Christian Democrat Hendrik Wüst, declared that energy policy “was not always clean” but that coal is more necessary than ever to alleviate the energy crisis in Germany.
The context is not the most reassuring. The cut in the supply of Russian gas to the locomotive of the European economy caused by the sanctions applied to Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine places a sword of Damocles over the direction of the Teutonic country.
The endorsement of Greta Thunberg
Another aspect to take into account with the expansion of the mine is the increase in greenhouse gases that Germany can emit, which would put Berlin in an uncomfortable position when it comes to complying with the commitments to limit these types of gases. .
The activist Greta Thunberg rightly criticizes these actions by Berlin and went to the site of the demonstrations to support the cause of non-expansion of the deposit. She there she affirmed that “Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world”.
“Climate strike week 230. We are currently in Lützerath, a German town threatened with demolition for a coal mine expansion.”
Greta also did not stop throwing a dart at the Executive, made up of a coalition that has the Green Party among its ranks.
“It is very strange to see the German government, including the Green Party, making deals and compromises with companies like RWE, with fossil fuel companies, when they should be held accountable for all the damage and destruction they have caused,” he said.
With Reuters and AP
