Greta Thunberg: German police release climate activist after detention at mine protest

Activist was carried away by three officers and held away from edge of mine

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Soraya Ebrahimi

German police detained climate campaigner Greta Thunberg on Tuesday along with other activists during protests against the demolition of a village to make way for a coal mine expansion.

Ms Thunberg, who has now been released, was held while protesting against the open-cast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, about 9km from the village of Luetzerath.

Police had warned that the group would be removed by force if they did not move away from the edge of the mine.

The village in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia is being cleared to allow for the expansion of the mine.

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The mine's owner, RWE, agreed with the government that it could demolish Luetzerath in exchange for its faster exit from coal and the saving of five villages originally slated for destruction.

Activists have said Germany should not be mining any more lignite, or brown coal, and should focus on expanding renewable energy.

Riot police backed by bulldozers removed activists from buildings in the abandoned village last week, with only a few left in trees and an underground tunnel by last weekend.

But protesters including Ms Thunberg remained at the site staging a sit-in into Tuesday.

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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg makes a speech on the Pyramid Stage stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, England, in June. All photos: Getty Images

Greta Thunberg speaks during a Fridays For Future march in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021.

Greta Thunberg at a protest in Glasgow, Scotland, during the Cop26 Summit in November 2021.

Greta Thunberg arrives at Glasgow Central station in Scotland after travelling by train from London ahead of the Cop26 summit in October 2021.

Greta Thunberg on stage during a Fridays for Future march in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany, in September 2021.

Greta Thunberg attends a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as they announce a new EU climate deal, at the European Commission in Brussels, in March 2020.

Greta Thunberg joins demonstrators during a Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate march in February 2020 in Bristol, England.

Greta Thunberg gives a speech during the Cop25 Climate Conference in December 2019 in Madrid, Spain.

Greta Thunberg sets sail for New York from Plymouth, England, in August 2019.

Greta Thunberg receives applause after addressing politicians in the Houses of Parliament in London, in April 2019.

Greta Thunberg in February 2019, in Brussels.

"We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please co-operate," a policeman said to the group, according to Reuters footage.

"Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge," a representative for Aachen police told Reuters, adding that one activist had jumped into the mine.

"However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity."

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Ms Thunberg was carried away by three officers and held by one arm at a spot away from the edge of the mine. She was then escorted back towards police vans.

The Swedish climate activist addressed the about 6,000 protesters who marched towards Luetzerath on Saturday, calling the expansion of the mine a "betrayal of present and future generations".

"Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world and needs to be held accountable," she said.

Updated: January 17, 2023, 10:34 PM