News Desk
LÜTZERATH, GERMANY: German police clashed with climate activists on Saturday at the village of Lützerath in western Germany, as the standoff between authorities and activists continued for the fourth day.
Clashes occurred between protesters and police as hundreds defied an order to leave the cordoned-off site in the village being razed to make way for a coal mine expansion. Police had been working to clear activists from the site to make way for the demolition.
Organizers said that 35,000 protesters participated in the demonstration, with police putting the figure at 15,000.
Police use water cannons against climate protestors
Police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators, a police spokesman told AFP. But the site was calm again by early evening as protesters gradually left the place.
Police said there had been injuries on both sides but the number of those wounded was not known yet nor how serious the injuries had been. Meanwhile, the group that organized the protest said that dozens of activists had been injured by water cannons and bites from police dogs.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at the protest site and condemned the German Green Party for supporting the Lützerath’s demolition.
Part of the German federal governing coalition, the Green Party is also in a coalition on the state level in North-Rhine Westphalia, the state where Lützerath is located.
