Police temporarily took Greta Thunberg into custody

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was carried away as one of several demonstrators by the police from the demolition edge of the Garzweiler brown coal mine and temporarily detained.

The police confirmed that Thunberg on Tuesday was part of the group that had moved towards the ledge and was then stopped and carried away. The mine has a sharp edge, staying there is dangerous and forbidden. A dpa photographer observed that Thunberg was carried away by three police officers and set down after a good 50 meters to carry out an identity check. Around 60 to 70 activists had previously sat down near the edge of the demolition line for a protest.

A police spokeswoman confirmed Thunberg was taken into custody for the determination of personal details. After the identity was established, the whole group was released, one of their colleagues later explained.

Lützerath was also cordoned off. According to the police, people had previously left a demonstration and headed towards the opencast mine and Lützerath. This led to a confrontation with the police.

Activists detached from discs

Before that, there were several other protests in the state. Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion group stuck to the NRW Ministry of the Interior in Düsseldorf. About a dozen people, including a mother and child, were involved in the action, police and Interior Ministry spokesmen said. They protested against the clearing of the lignite mining settlement and demanded the resignation of NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) because of the police operation there. The activists also complained about police violence and criminalization during the eviction last week.

After some time, the emergency services ended the action: some demonstrators left voluntarily, others were carried away. The activists, who had taped themselves to windows, were released by the police. Meanwhile, around 150 demonstrators gathered at the state parliament in Düsseldorf, who then marched in front of the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs. They also protested against the demolition of Lützerath.

A group from the last generation brought Cologne’s morning traffic to a massive standstill with a blockade action. During the blockade, climate activists taped themselves to a street and held up a banner that referred to the Last Generation group. Yellow crosses could also be seen during the protest action – the protest symbols against the demolition of Lützerath. Six people were taken into custody by the police. State security got involved. The Last Generation group tweeted a photo from Cologne and declared: “The coal under #Lützerath has to stay in the ground!”

Meanwhile, the Swedish climate activist Greta held on Thunberg still in the region. On Tuesday, she surprisingly took part in a climate protection demonstration that had started in Keyenberg near Lützerath, as a photographer reported. On ThunbergWhen asked, the spokesman said that she would “participate in various activities”. Thunberg had appeared again and again in and around Lützerath in the past few days. Among other things, she took part in a rally on Saturday.

The police forces prepared for several spontaneous, decentralized actions on Tuesday. The action alliance “Lützerath Unräumbar”, which also includes groups from Fridays For Future and Last Generation, had called for a joint day of action.

At a rally last Saturday, there were clashes between the police and demonstrators when participants ran in the direction of Lützerath. The lignite mine has a sharp edge, staying there is dangerous and forbidden. Lützerath is also sealed off. The village was cleared by the police in the past few days and is to be excavated.