German security forces continued Thursday, for the second day in a row, with evacuations of activists from a western German town seized by activists opposed to the use of the area for coal.
Police have called on loudspeakers for the activists to leave Lützerath, a small town some 40 kilometers west of Cologne, voluntarily and peacefully. The operation is proceeding without major incident.
German energy giant RWE plans to expand a lignite mine, so the town has become a symbol of anti-fossil fuel activism. In fact, a demonstration has been called for Saturday, with Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg expected to attend.
According to the police, some 800 people have demonstrated from the town of Keyenberg to Lützerath, about four kilometers away.
RWE has erected a two-meter-high fence to establish a security perimeter, which is almost complete as of Thursday, according to a spokesman for the company. Also, at the access to the village, work has already begun on the demolition of buildings and the felling of trees.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
