Climate activists have occupied the German village of Lützerath for almost two years. They are due to start on Tuesday, but so far it hasn’t been without difficulty. This is how the lignite village transformed itself from a sleepy hamlet into a center of climate activism.
Germany has decided to demolish Lützerath so that the lignite mine of energy giant RWE can expand. Below the village, which is approximately between Roermond and Düsseldorf, there is even more lignite. This fossil fuel is used, among other things, to generate energy. Although coal-fired power plants in Germany must close by 2030the demolition of Lützerath could still continue.
Climate activists believe this is against German laws that are supposed to protect the climate. They think that it is now unnecessary to dig the ground under Lützerath to extract lignite.
Other villages also had to give way to the extraction of the polluting raw material in the past. For example, the occupation of Lützerath is reminiscent of the action around Hambach, which can also be found on the RWE website. Those years of occupation ended in October 2018.
The occupation of Lützerath began in the farmyard of one of the last “original” inhabitants. As the eighty or so villagers left, minor actions such as walks and rallies took place.
But in 2020, farmer Eckardt Heukamp decided to open his backyard to climate activists. Man resisted coal mine expansion for years. In vain, because in April last year the “last farmer of Lützerath” also had to sell his land. He indicated that he needed a break. My house is not a pawn for courts and politicians who want to shirk their responsibility for climate protection. agricultural today the farmer.
The activist group in Lützerath has now grown to around two thousand people. And with eviction looming, that group continues to grow. Climate activists from the Netherlands also traveled to the German village.
She is one of the Dutch activists and has been in the village for “about three or four days”. “It’s a very bizarre place,” she says. “The coal mine is really big and the village is on the precipice of the mine. The knowledge that this is being cleared to get even more coal out of the ground… It’s great to see people trying to create an alternative community building.”
Lützerath has now become more like a fortress, write the German media. According to Ella, there are still about ten farms and barns that have been occupied. “Also, there is a kind of village of huts; wooden houses that people have built and tree houses. People also sleep in tents.”
Sunday afternoon, the works are still in full swing. Curious visitors also help, according to the Dutch.
The occupation of the village receives a lot of attention and the activists seem to have achieved part of their goals. Well-known personalities, including Greta Thunberg, have spoken about the village and it is also being discussed within German politics.
Politicians point out that this is part of the agreements made with RWE. “RWE has the right to use coal under Lützerath and in a constitutional state we have to accept that,” says North Rhine-Westphalia state president Tim Achtermeyer at Daily mirror.
The fact is that the occupation is illegal. That’s why the village will be evacuated from this week. Climate activists tried to prevent it by filing several lawsuits, but the judges allowed the eviction to continue. The court in Münster will decide on the most recent case on Monday. The judge will likely agree with the eviction as well.
In short: many eyes will be on Lützerath in the near future. Will there be a – as some media call it – “Battle of Lützerath”? The evacuation of Hambach in 2018 also did not go smoothly. Even in Lützerath there was sometimes rioting between the police and climate activists.
Activists have now invited even more people to come to the area. “Even if the police manage to evacuate Lützerath, you are urgently needed on the spot,” reads the action group’s website Lützerath is alive! (“Lützerath is alive”). For example, activists are preparing with, among other things, blockades to stop demolition machines.
The German police are also doing great, with around two thousand officers. Second The mirror officers come from all over the country and bring fire hydrants, dogs and horses with them.
