Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was among those briefly detained by police at a protest in western Germany.
She was protesting with activists seeking to stop the abandoned village of Lützerath from being demolished for the expansion of a coal mine.
Police clarified that Ms Thunberg had not been arrested, and later said she had been released after an ID check.
NOW – Police remove Greta Thunberg from an anti-coal protest in Germany for the second time this week.@disclosetv pic.twitter.com/ppXWaYBcuQ
— 🇺🇲🇺🇸Wretched🇺🇲🇺🇸 (@WRETCHEDREDUX) January 17, 2023
The Swedish activist was detained after a group “rushed towards the ledge” of the Garzweiler 2 mine, police said.
Officers also confirmed all of those detained would not be charged.
Video from the scene showed three officers carrying Ms Thunberg from the protest as she smiled.
Symbolbild: Grüne Klimapolitik in Deutschland 2023. pic.twitter.com/0LtgiqYAzL
— Lützerath bleibt! – Tag X seit 3.1. (@LuetziBleibt) January 17, 2023
Police also told Reuters news agency that one man jumped into the mine, which is located some 9km (5.6 miles) from Lützerath.
Activists argue burning coal undermines Germany’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The government has pledged to bring forward the phase-out of coal in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state in which the mine lies, to 2030. The national target is 2038.
#Klimaterroristen Ernsthaft? pic.twitter.com/ZMmK8G7jKo
— SteffenTet3 (@SteffenTet3) January 14, 2023
source bbc.com
