The dismantling of the former settlement will be completed “in the coming days”. Elsewhere in the Rhenish lignite mining area, the protests against coal-fired power generation continued.
On Monday morning, for example, eight activists occupied a lignite excavator in the Hambach opencast mine, 20 kilometers from Lützerath. As a result, the device had to temporarily cease operation. However, the protest action ended after just a few hours. The eight squatters left the excavator voluntarily on Monday afternoon, RWE reported.
A good four kilometers as the crow flies from Lützerath, five climate activists abseiled down a motorway bridge on Monday morning. Traffic on Autobahn 44 continued during the action, but nothing worked on the country road under the bridge. According to the police, this action was also over by noon.
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The energy company RWE emphasized that the two activists who were still under Lützerath left the tunnel voluntarily. One was “relieved” that the “life-threatening situation” had ended in this way. “A rescue from the tunnel against the announced resistance of the people would have been associated with high risks, also for the rescue workers,” said the group.
The Lützerath activists also said on Twitter that the two people had left the tunnel “themselves”. “A thousand thanks for your life-threatening action against lignite and capitalism,” they wrote.
Faeser: Don’t settle political conflicts on the backs of emergency services
Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser condemned the methods used by climate activists during the evacuation of the Lower Rhine lignite village. “With burning barricades, a tunnel in danger of collapsing and shaky tree houses at high altitude, activists have not only put themselves in great danger, but also the emergency services,” wrote the SPD politician in a statement on Monday.
Political conflicts should not be carried out on the backs of emergency services. “Anyone who wants to use force to enforce their concerns is leaving the democratic discourse,” emphasized Faeser. You risk the support of society for the fight against the climate crisis.
At the same time, Faeser announced that the “individual allegations of violence by police officers” against activists should also be investigated. “If the allegations are confirmed, they must have consequences,” Faeser made clear.
Police reject allegations of violence after the Lützerath demo
Activists had accused the police of excess violence during the large demonstration on Saturday. They estimated the number of injured since the beginning of the police action on January 8 at around 300. On Saturday there were between 90 and 120 injured demonstrators, said spokesman for “Lützerath is alive”.
Police did not give a number of protesters and activists injured, but confirmed that nine times protesters were taken to hospitals by ambulance on Saturday. However, none of the demonstrators were in mortal danger.
>> Read here: Approval for the Greens suffers from the Lützerath eviction – traffic lights without a majority
According to the police, more than 100 officers were injured within six days during the evacuation, more than 80 of them on Saturday. A police spokesman said it was not yet clear how many injured themselves without outside influence.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) doubted the figures given by the activists. “As far as we know today, the numbers cannot be correct. But maybe people went home with broken bones without being treated,” said Reul. On the other hand, not all police officers were injured by demonstrators. Many injuries are due to the muddy ground.
The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) meanwhile campaigned before the synod of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland for support for the coal compromise, which is currently leading to the generation of larger quantities of coal, but also an early phase-out of coal-fired power generation in 2030 NRW includes. Nobody made it easy for themselves.
After the complete demolition of Lützerath, the energy company RWE wants to excavate the coal underneath. A company spokesman said the bucket-wheel excavators could reach the former village as early as March or April.
More: The people in Lützerath want the right thing and do the wrong thing – a comment