04:15Germany: 'Every house, every tree' - Climate activists dig in to protect village from coal mine
Hundreds of climate activists gathered in Lutzerath in West Germany on Sunday to save the village from being bulldozed to allow for the expansion of a nearby coal mine.
The protesters were seen building makeshift settlements, digging trenches and erecting barricades as they prepare for a drawn-out conflict with police officers.
"We are united in our determination to defend Lutzerath. Every house, every tree, and every meter. They will attack Lutzerath with countless hundreds. They are already besieging the village. In the coming days, they will violently try to evacuate the village, arrest and criminalize us,” said climate activist Soraya Kutterer.
“The state makes itself the henchman of the fossil industry to secure its profits. The police are not neutral actors. You enforce the interests of individuals by force. Profits are placed above the common good,” she added.
Local police estimate that there are as many as 1,500 climate activists currently camped out in Lutzerath. Police have warned that the protesters will be forcibly evacuated by Tuesday if they refuse to leave.
Electricity generation company RWE, which runs the Garzweiler coal mine, claims the expansion is necessary under the current energy insecurity crisis across Germany.
04:15Hundreds of climate activists gathered in Lutzerath in West Germany on Sunday to save the village from being bulldozed to allow for the expansion of a nearby coal mine.
The protesters were seen building makeshift settlements, digging trenches and erecting barricades as they prepare for a drawn-out conflict with police officers.
"We are united in our determination to defend Lutzerath. Every house, every tree, and every meter. They will attack Lutzerath with countless hundreds. They are already besieging the village. In the coming days, they will violently try to evacuate the village, arrest and criminalize us,” said climate activist Soraya Kutterer.
“The state makes itself the henchman of the fossil industry to secure its profits. The police are not neutral actors. You enforce the interests of individuals by force. Profits are placed above the common good,” she added.
Local police estimate that there are as many as 1,500 climate activists currently camped out in Lutzerath. Police have warned that the protesters will be forcibly evacuated by Tuesday if they refuse to leave.
Electricity generation company RWE, which runs the Garzweiler coal mine, claims the expansion is necessary under the current energy insecurity crisis across Germany.