climate crisis
Alarm in Lützerath – activists expect police action
Heavy clearing vehicles remove the barricades erected by climate activists in the presence of the police. photo
© Thomas Banneyer/dpa
It’s raining and storming, the conditions in the occupied lignite town of Lützerath are difficult. Nevertheless, there are growing indications that the large-scale police operation to clear the area could soon begin.
In the occupied lignite town of Lützerath, the activists are preparing for an imminent evacuation by the police. On Wednesday morning, sirens and alarm bells rang through the occupied location. “We think it’s about to start because a lot of police cars have driven here,” said a spokeswoman for the activists. “A never-ending chain of police cars drives through the mine,” said the telegram channel “Lützerath Lebt! Infokanal”.
Some activists climbed onto tall monopods and tripods – which are trunks tied together with platforms. They were erected in the past few days to make it as difficult as possible for the police to get to the activists.
The energy company RWE previously announced that it would start “dismantling” the Rhenish lignite town of Lützerath today. “As one of the first measures, a construction fence a good one and a half kilometers long will be erected for safety reasons,” the group said. “It marks the company’s own construction site, where the remaining buildings, ancillary facilities, roads and canals of the former settlement will be dismantled over the next few weeks. Trees and bushes will also be removed.”
The group left it open whether the police operation to clear the site would begin and referred to the police. In turn, they only confirmed that an eviction “must be expected at any time from Wednesday”. A police spokesman announced further blocking measures of the place. Lützerath could be surrounded by the police during the operation.
Early on Wednesday morning, strong emergency services were already drawn together around Lützerath, as dpa reporters reported. It was raining heavily and persistently, a strong wind was blowing, the ground was soggy.
RWE insists on “dismantling”
Climate activists have occupied the abandoned settlement and want to oppose the announced eviction. “All the necessary permits and court decisions have been obtained, and all of the original residents have long since left the site,” emphasized RWE. “The company regrets that the upcoming dismantling can only take place with extensive police protection and that opponents of the opencast mine are calling for illegal disruptive actions and criminal offenses.”
The coal, which lies under Lützerath, is needed to save gas for power generation in Germany during the energy crisis, the energy company argued. The activists deny this and refer, among other things, to a study by scientists from several universities who have come together as the “CoalExit Research Group”. According to this, the coal in the current mining area is always sufficient – even under the conditions of the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war.
According to Aachen police chief Dirk Weinspach, the forthcoming evacuation of the protest village is one of the most challenging operations of recent years. The police receive support from all over Germany. Activists have erected about 25 tree houses, some at great heights.
“Despite the rain, people are determined,” said activist Lakshmi on Wednesday morning in Lützerath. “We will continue to use blockade techniques to oppose the police force.”
Lützerath is a district of the 43,000-inhabitant town of Erkelenz in western North Rhine-Westphalia. The hamlet, located in the middle of fields, is now located directly on the edge of the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine. The coal underneath is to be mined to generate electricity.