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Greta Thunberg was seen smiling as she was taken away by riot police for the second time in three days while protesting at a coal mine in Germany today.
The 20-year-old was among dozens of climate activists who were detained by police officers during protests at a mine in the coal-mining village of Lutzerath in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region.
The activists, who are protesting against the ongoing destruction of the town to make way for the expansion of a coal mine, clashed with riot police today.
Thunberg was photographed smiling as she was led away by three police officers, all in riot gear.
Greta Thunberg was seen smiling as she was taken away by riot police for the second time in three days while protesting at a coal mine in Germany today.
Police officers lead Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg away from the edge of the Garzweiler II opencast brown coal mine today
Climate activist Greta Thunberg gestures as she sits on a bus on the day of a protest against the expansion of German utility RWE’s Garzweiler opencast lignite mine to Luetzerath, Germany today.
Thunberg, who joined the protesters on Friday, was seen sitting alone in a large police bus after being detained on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes after police physically removed Thunberg from the same site on Sunday after the protests.
Police today said Thunberg was part of a group of activists who ran to the edge of the Garzweiler open pit mine. The activists stood at the edge of the open pit, which has a sharp edge, before confronting police.
The police said that it is dangerous and that people were forbidden to stay there.
Thunberg was one of several protesters who were led away by police from the edge of the mine in the afternoon.
A protester was able to enter the mine, RWE said, calling the move “very reckless”, dpa reported.
Police officers lead Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg away from the edge of the Garzweiler II open-cast lignite mine during protests today.
Police detain climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday during protests at a mine in Luetzerath
Police detain climate activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday during protests
“Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who ran onto the ledge,” an Aachen police spokesman said.
“However, she was later detained and taken by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish her identity.”
It is not yet clear what will happen to Thunberg or the group she was detained with, or whether the activist who jumped into the mine was injured, the spokesman said.
Earlier, the German news channel n-tv showed Thunberg inside a group of protesters that was surrounded by several police officers.
“We are going to use force to take you to identity control, so please cooperate,” a police officer told the group of activists, according to Reuters images.
The police and the energy company RWE began to evict the protesters from Luetzerath on January 11, removing barricades, cutting down tree houses and demolishing buildings.
Activists have cited the symbolic importance of Luetzerath for years, and thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday against RWE’s demolition of the town for the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine.
Thunberg appears within a group of protesters that was surrounded by several policemen.
Police intervene in the protest as activists march and sit on the rails to block coal trains heading to the power plant in Lutzerath on Tuesday.
Activists sit on the rails to block the path of coal trains heading to the power plant in Lutzerath on Tuesday.
On Friday, Thunberg said Germany was “embarrassing itself” by expanding the mine, DW News reports.
“I think it is absolutely absurd that this is happening in the year 2023,” he said.
‘The most effective people are clear, the science is clear, we need to keep carbon in the ground.
‘When the government and corporations act in this way, they are actively destroying the environment, putting countless people at risk, people step up.
‘This is just one part of a global climate movement and we stand together in solidarity.’
Protesters have accused police of “pure violence” while authorities say 70 police officers have been injured in recent days.
Police say they are investigating 154 possible crimes, while nine environmental activists have been taken to hospital, although none have been seriously injured, a claim refuted by climate protesters who say several have been seriously injured.
The police response has turned at times into ludicrous scenes, with videos on social media showing officers dressed in riot gear stuck in thick mud as protesters pelted them with rubbish.
A video, filmed on Sunday, appears to show a man dressed as a friar taunting trapped policemen and even pushing one as they try to get out of the mud.
The mine, called Garzweiler, is one of the largest open pit mines in Europe and is operated by the energy company RWE. It is a major source of lignite used in coal-fired power plants.
The German government had announced plans to phase out coal by 2030, but has since reversed course after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced it to rethink its energy policy.