Germany’s Minister of Economics and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, said Friday that environmental activists who have occupied the village of Lutzerath because of their opposition to the use of the area for coal production are fighting a «misguided battle.»
«There are many good reasons to demonstrate in favor of environmental protection,» Habeck, a member of the Green party, told ‘Der Spiegel’ magazine.
However, he regretted that Lutzerath «is precisely the wrong symbol» for this and explained that the demolition of the area «does not, in fact, symbolize the continuation of activity in the adjacent Garzweiler mine». «It symbolizes in fact its end,» he has stressed.
In this regard, he has explained that an agreement was reached in 2022 for the mine to implement an eight-year plan to put an end to these activities. «Due to this agreement, investments are being made in neutral energy supply and hydrogen plants,» he said.
Police have now largely cleared the area, although several activists have made their way into the mine’s subway tunnels, where they threaten to barricade themselves in.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
