ERKELENZ (GERMANY), 15 Jan. (DPA/EP) –
The German Police have completed this Sunday the eviction of the mining town of Lützerath, occupied by hundreds of activists who wanted to prevent the demolition of the town for the expansion of an open-cast coal mine.
“There are no longer any activists in the town of Lützerath,” the Police announced after the incidents on Saturday, when the agents could not prevent a massive protest act attended by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Most of the buildings in the town were demolished throughout the day, according to the Police, so the RWE company would now have a free hand to excavate the coal that lies under Lützerath.
Police and protesters have accused each other of acting violently in the riots on Saturday. The Police have reported 70 injured officers and nine activists were taken by ambulance to hospitals. The conveners assure that there are dozens of injured, some with serious injuries that could even endanger their lives.
Up to twelve demonstrators have been detained and there are 30 damaged official vehicles, eight with blown-out mirrors, graffiti and stones. Up to 32 tires of police vehicles have been punctured.
In addition, the Police denounce that a thousand “rioters” outside the demonstration and most of them masked tried to enter the cordoned area of Lützerath, for which water cannons, pepper spray and charges with batons were used to repel them.
This same Sunday there has been a new concentration to try to stop the demolition in which Thunberg and the German Luisa Neubauer have participated.
