2 German climate activists still hold out in tunnel in Lutzerath

BERLIN

The evacuation of Germany’s western Lutzerath village, where anti-coal mine protests were ongoing, has been completed except for the two activists holding out in a tunnel.

"There are no other activists in the village site of Lutzerath," police said on late Sunday. The demolition of the village is progressing rapidly, and most of the buildings were already no longer standing.

At a tunnel where two climate activists are holding out, the fire department regularly checked a ventilation device. A spokesman for energy company RWE succinctly described the situation to media representatives Monday morning as "static."

The RWE spokesman said that it is unclear how long it will take to get the activists out of there. The energy company's plant fire department took over the operation, which was described as a "rescue."

A spokeswoman for the activist group Lutzerath Lebt said that the condition of the two activists was stable.

Police officers and activists were at the tunnel entrance Monday morning, apparently holding talks. Parliamentary observers were also present.

Nothing so far indicates that the two will leave the tunnel voluntarily.

Dirk Weinspach, the police chief of the city of Aachen, had climbed into the shaft himself on Friday to get an idea of the situation.

"It is a cellar vault, from which a shaft of four meters goes, then a construction in the horizontal," Weinspach said. However, he said, he had not been to the very bottom of the shaft, but only to the top, where it was still reasonably safe.

"The construction is not safe," was his impression.

Activists accuse police of violence

On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators attended a rally near the village to protest the German government and the mine expansion plans, with organizers saying the crowd was 35,000 strong.

Dozens of climate activists were injured when the police used pepper spray and batons to disperse demonstrators. Activists accused the police of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.

On Sunday, climate activist Greta Thunberg was taken away by police during protests near Lutzerath. Speaking at the protests on Saturday, the famed Swedish activist claimed that Germany is "embarrassing itself" and added: "I think it's absolutely absurd that this is happening in 2023."


New protests on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Ende Gelande, an environmental activist group, has announced new protests in Lutzerath.

On its website, the organization writes: "Mass action with the alliance 'Lützerath unräumbar' on January 17 - we stand in the way of destruction! With diverse forms of action we will protect Lutzerath and stop Garzweiler. Come with reference groups and become active with us!"

Lutzerath has been cleared by the police since Wednesday. The few buildings in the settlement are being demolished to allow the energy company RWE to excavate the lignite underneath. Activists want to prevent that.

The company said in a statement that the coal under Lutzerath is needed to "make optimal use of the lignite fleet during the energy crisis.

Under an agreement with the government, RWE will bring forward its coal phase-out by eight years and end lignite-fired power generation by 2030.