Seconded By: Vladimir Karamazov,
Since 2020, climate activists have been occupying the German village of Lützerath. This action was prompted by the energy company RWE receiving permission to expand the Garzweiler II coal mine. The expansion would result in the destruction of Lützerath to extract the coal underneath the village. Despite plans to phase out coal-fired power in Germany due to its extreme pollution, the government has chosen to give permission to the expansion. In early 2023, authorities began removing people from the area in preparation for the excavation, leading to thousands traveling to Lützerath to protect the village. This resulted in weeks of violent clashes between the police and the activists.
Long Live Lützerath
This Tuesday a big group of activists walks towards the coal mine which currently stops just outside Lutzerath. Alongside the border of the mine battle dressed police make sure no one enters. During the last weeks, violent clashes between activists and authorities have taken place in these fields.
Long Live Lützerath
A gasp goes through the group of activists as the first suddenly break through the police barrier. It starts a chain reaction, and soon hundreds of activists are headed for the mine. They will use their bodies as a shield to prevent the excavations. The hilly terrain makes it almost impossible for the police to organize themselves.
Long Live Lützerath
More and more police keep coming. They use tear gas, police clubs, horses, and brutal arrests in their attempt to stop the activists from entering the mine.
Long Live Lützerath
Greta Thunberg is among those who have traveled to Lutzerath to join protest. She is arrested, but receives remarkably lenient treatment compared to others.
Long Live Lützerath
A group of activists manage to get all the way to the edge of the mine, but the police manage to surround and detain them shortly after. For three hours, the activists are detained in the cold field. It is in the middle of January.
Long Live Lützerath
The activists try to keep warm by sitting close together. At regular intervals, they break out into song and do so-called “life checks” to make sure everyone is okay.
Long Live Lützerath
Even though the activists have been captured, they insist on civil disobedience. They have gained expertise in confrontations with the police. Some of them have been occupying the area for years.
Long Live Lützerath
The protest on the 17th of January became one of the last ones before the climate activists decided to retreat from the area. The village of Lutzerath belongs to the past and now the area will be transformed into a coal mine.
