Gretha Thunberg is said to have refused to comply with police demands during a mass protest against the coal industry in Germany. Pictures show a smiling Greta being taken away by police officers.
The Swedish climate activist has been expelled by the police in the coal village of Lützerath, after participating in a local climate demonstration.
It writes Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
It is the German newspaper Bild which has published photos of Thunberg being taken away by German police. According to Bild’s information, she has not complied with the police’s requests to leave the area.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken part in the protest against the authorities wanting to step up the extraction of lignite in the village. Among them several Norwegian activists from Nature and Youth, as well as Thunberg, who gave a speech for the activists earlier in the weekend.
Nature and Youth in Lützerath: – The police are more brutal here
Elise Sørensen (20) and Elin Schopmeier (19) from Nature and Youth are present in the German village to support the campaigners.
They did not see the situation where Greta Thunberg was expelled.
– We saw her earlier today and barely met her. She was in the main camp where we have shared meals, says Sørensen.
She emphasizes that there are many police present.
– The police are more brutal here. There is a lot of activity. When we were going to sleep yesterday, we heard many helicopters above us, she says.
She herself is not afraid of being expelled.
– We are here to show support and solidarity to the German activists, we are not here to show civil disobedience. We will move if we are asked to.
Thousands attended
The authorities want to demolish buildings to expand a coal mine, and are already starting the demolition work. German authorities believe it is necessary to expand the mine to improve Germany’s energy security.
Earlier this week, hundreds of police officers went into action to remove the protesters, who have occupied the village.
On the big protest day on Saturday, clashes broke out between police and climate activists, and both police and activists accuse each other of using violence.
The police say that 15,000 people took part in the mining protest on Saturday, while the organizers say that at least 35,000 were involved.
Together with around 70 other activists, Thunberg again appeared in the village on Sunday, writes Aftonbladet.
Used water cannons
The large demonstration took place in the neighboring town of Keyenberg, but it was when a group of 1,000 masked activists tried to get past the barriers to Lützerath that the clashes occurred on Saturday.
The police used water cannons, pepper spray and clubs to beat them back, and charges have so far been issued against 150 people.
According to German police, there were only a few activists left inside Lützerath on Sunday. An activist says that it is about 20 people.
On Sunday morning, the site was floodlit, and a reporter from the news agency DPA reported that excavators were driving to continue the demolition.
