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Gallery|Environment

Police carry Greta Thunberg away from German coal mine protest

Thunberg was among hundreds who resumed anti-mining protests at multiple locations in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Police officers detain climate activist Greta Thunberg
Police officers detain climate activist Greta Thunberg. [Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters]
Published On 18 Jan 202318 Jan 2023
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Police in western Germany carried Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters away from the edge of an open coal pit mine where they demonstrated against the ongoing destruction of a village to make way for the mine’s expansion, German news agency dpa reported.

Thunberg was among hundreds of people who resumed anti-mining protests at multiple locations in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia a day after the last two climate activists holed up in a tunnel beneath the village of Luetzerath left the site.

The German government reached a deal with energy company RWE last year, allowing it to destroy the village in return for ending coal use by 2030, rather than 2038. Both argue that coal is needed to ensure Germany’s energy security which is squeezed by the cut in the supply of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine.

But environmentalists say bulldozing Luetzerath will result in vast greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is expected to miss its ambitious climate targets for the second year in a row.

Police officers detain climate activist Greta Thunberg
Thunberg attends a rally near Luetzerath. The village itself was evacuated by the police in recent days and sealed off. [Ronald Wittek/EPA]
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Germany coal mine protest
Police officers carry Thunberg as demonstrations continue against a coal mine extension in Luetzerath. [Christoph Reichwein/DPA/AFP]
Germany coal mine protest
The German government reached a deal with energy company RWE last year, allowing it to destroy the village of Luetzerath in return for ending coal use by 2030 rather than 2038. [Ronald Wittek/EPA]
Germany coal mine protest
Police officers secure a rally by climate protection activists near the village of Luetzerath. [Ronald Wittek/EPA]
Germany coal mine protest
Police stand next to environmentalists blocking the railway tracks for transporting lignite to German energy supplier RWE's coal-fired power plant in Neurath, western Germany. [Ina Fassbender/AFP]
Germany coal mine protest
Glue is removed from a climate activist's hand during a protest against the expansion of the Garzweiler open-cast lignite mine. [Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters]
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Germany coal mine protest
Police prevent environmentalists from advancing towards Luetzerath. [Ina Fassbender/AFP]
Germany coal mine protest
Police and RWE started evicting protesters from Luetzerath on January 11, removing roadblocks, chopping down treehouses and bulldozing buildings. [Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters]


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