UPDATE 2 - German police start removing barricades at climate protest camp

UPDATES WITH COMMENTS BY CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ACCUSING POLICE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE

BERLIN (AA) – Police have begun removing barricades erected by climate activists in the western German village of Lutzerath, causing tension at the protest site.

Hundreds of officers were deployed in the area on Tuesday ahead of the planned eviction of the village, which had been abandoned prior to activists moving in two years ago to block the expansion of a nearby coal mine.

Climate activists erected tripods and barriers, chaining themselves together to block access to the village and calling on people to join their protest to prevent the eviction and demolition of the village.

The activists harshly criticized the police for using "excessive force" on peaceful protesters.

"Police officers are responding with excessive force, risking the lives of climate activists," the organizers said on social media, posting several videos showing police misconduct.

"Peaceful protesters are trying to prevent the emissions of 280.000.000 tons of CO2 in Lutzerath. German authorities respond with torture," one of the activists said.

The police said on Twitter that Tuesday's intervention aimed at clearing barricades around the village and underlined that it would not be the beginning of the eviction.

Several protesters were briefly detained by police.

Aachen police chief Dirk Weinspach told public broadcaster WDR that eviction efforts could begin on Wednesday or the following days.

Lutzerath has become a symbol for German environmentalist groups demanding an end to the use of coal and fossil fuels in order to meet climate goals and emission-reducing targets.

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

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.