Police have found parents who skipped work and children who skipped school among those seized while protesting against the expansion of a coal mine in Germany.
The coal mine is set to engulf the now abandoned village of Luetzerath, a hamlet in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, between Aachen and Dusseldorf.
In 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the expansion of the Garzweiler surface mine.
There are thought to be 1.3 billion tonnes of lignite, also known as brown coal, in the new Garzweiler minable area.
Lignite is known to pollute considerably.
Now riot police have begun dragging climate protesters from the site after the abandoned village was occupied in recent months in a bid to stop the mine from expanding.
Protesters reportedly barricaded themselves inside abandoned homes in the hamlet, with some taken to trees and treehouses to make it harder for them to be dislodged.
Over 1,000 police officers from all over Germany are said to be taking part in the forcible removal of protesters from the village, which is now owned by energy firm RWE. The village is set to be swallowed up by the vast open coal mine.
The stand-off between activists and police has also turned violent, with scuffles breaking out. One activist told the BBC: “The coal under here is not needed for anything; just for RWE to make more profit.”
Activist Dina Hamid rejected an assertion from the authorities that said that Germany needed the lignite to meet its energy requirements, now that it could no longer rely on supplies from Russia, telling the BBC: “The climate crisis is now, and we know that coal should have been stopped years ago.”
The police said in a Twitter post viewed over 219,000 times since it was posted on 11th January at 10:46am: “There are small children in Luetzerath. Due to far-reaching dangers in the operational area, the Aachen Police is appealing to the legal guardians to leave the area immediately with their children.”
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Aachen Police’s operation manager Wilhelm Sauer, on the evening of 11th January, saying: “I am very satisfied with the way today’s operation went. Despite initial violent actions against our forces, we were able to quickly stabilize the situation and carry out our measures as planned.”
The police statement also said: “The police surrounded the town of Luetzerath early on Wednesday morning. When the officers also set up barriers in the inner area, stones, pyrotechnics and other objects were thrown at them.
“Several Molotov cocktails were also set on fire and thrown from the group of squatters – nobody was injured. A police officer sustained minor injuries from a stone thrown, and two other responders also received minor injuries during resistance activities.
“Two people from the protest scene also suffered minor injuries when they resisted police officers. Two people were arrested and criminal proceedings were initiated in connection with the initial violent protests.
“The police quickly managed to stabilize the situation, and there were no further escalations during the day. The people staying in Luetzerath were and are given the opportunity to leave the place voluntarily. So far, more than 200 people have been escorted out of the cordoned-off area by the police. The emergency services then cleared the first buildings, removed barricades and brought several people out of the area.”
Police chief Dirk Weinspach said: “In the run-up to the mission, I repeatedly emphasised that the operation around Luetzerath is one of the most challenging of the last few years for the Aachen police.”
He added: “The course so far shows the great professionalism of all the forces deployed, from planning to implementation. I wish all those injured a speedy recovery and continue to appeal to the protest scene not to endanger the police forces or themselves.”
