German climate activists clash with police at Lutzerath coal mine site

BERLIN (AA) – Climate activists have clashed with police in the western German village of Lutzerath on Wednesday, resisting plans to expand a nearby coal mine.

The confrontation escalated as the police attempted to remove barricades to enter the protest camp, and some activists responded by throwing stones and firebombs.

A spokesman for the police department told reporters that authorities are starting the construction of a fence in the area, and protesters will be allowed to leave the camp, but no one will be allowed to enter the village.

Around 1,000 climate activists are currently occupying the abandoned village and they erected barriers on the roads to block preparations for the eviction of their camp.

Lutzerath has become a symbol for environmentalist groups demanding an end to the use of coal and fossil fuels in Germany to meet climate goals.

Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Last Generation, and Scientist Rebellion are among the groups protesting in the village.

The German energy giant RWE is planning to demolish the village as part of a plan to expand the Garzweiler coal mine, with the goal of extracting 280 million tons of lignite by 2030.