Greta Thunberg detained by police in Germany during coal mine protest

Police carried the climate activist away from the rally in the German village of Lutzerath where protesters are opposing an expanded coal mine.

Police officers carry Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg out of a group of demonstrators and activists in Erkelenz, western Germany. Picture: AFP

Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, was carried away and detained by police on Tuesday local time in a German village where protesters have been opposing an expanded coal mine, according to a spokeswoman for the group organising the protest.

Ms Thunberg, 20, joined dozens of demonstrators in the village of Lutzerath, about 41km west of Frankfurt, since the weekend, said Charly Dietz, a spokeswoman for Ende Gelande. She and other demonstrators had been blocking the front of a coal mine and didn’t leave after the police had asked them to, Ms Dietz said.

Images from the scene showed police officers holding Ms Thunberg’s arms and legs as they carried her away from the coal mine.

Ms Dietz said this is the second time Ms Thunberg had been removed from the protests in Lutzerath. Over the weekend, police officers carried Ms. Thunberg away from the demonstrations.

Ende Gelande, an alliance of climate-action groups, organised the demonstration in Lutzerath. The Germany energy company RWE AG has been planning to demolish the village to expand a coal mine into the area.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joins environmentalists in western Germany. Picture: AFP.

Representatives for RWE, Ms Thunberg and the local police didn’t immediately return requests for comment Tuesday.

RWE said last week that it planned to start demolishing Lutzerath. The company said it had secured the necessary licenses and court orders to make room for a coal mine. No one has lived in the small village since 2017, although some squatters have occupied buildings.

“RWE is appealing to potential protesters not to trespass on company sites, not to participate in unlawful acts, and to remain calm during the protest campaign,” the company said last week.

Ms Thunberg is among the world’s most prolific climate activists and has led climate protests chastising leaders for what she has said is a lack of climate action. She first drew international attention when she began cutting her ninth-grade classes in 2018 to sit outside the Swedish Parliament building. She wore a purple backpack and carried a sign saying she was on strike over climate change.

Ms Thunberg’s appearance at the protest could help draw attention to the planned coal mine in Lutzerath. Ms Dietz said no one from the Ende Gelande had asked Ms Thunberg to go to the protests but she decided on her own to attend for several days.

She appeared at the demonstration with a cardboard sign that said, “Keep It In The Ground”. Dow Jones