Swedish activist Greta Thungberg will take part in a rally this Saturday against the demolition of the mining town of Lützerath in western Germany to make way for a mining construction site.
Police expect around 8,000 people to attend the demonstration in the neighboring village of Keyenberg, which, like Lützerath, is part of the Rhineland town of Erkelenz.
The slogan of the demonstration is «Stop the eviction! For climate justice».
According to the organizers, the program with live bands and performances will start at 11.00 a.m. (local time) and the demonstration itself at noon.
Fifty cities and 14 federal states are also expected to participate, according to the environmental group ‘Fridays for Future’.
«The situation in Lützerath is a great international embarrassment for the German government,» Thunberg admitted in Cologne ahead of the protest.
«People have been defending Lützerath for years, as part of a global movement for justice,» he added, while acknowledging that the fact that people are taking action is a sign of hope.
The 20-year-old called on all citizens to join the demonstration.
Since Wednesday, the police have proceeded to evict and demolish the site, occupied until then by climate activists.
In this context, the energy company RWE intends to excavate the lignite underneath. According to the state and federal government, this is necessary to ensure energy security. The activists deny this: according to them, the lignite from the existing opencast mine is sufficient.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
