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Pushed off the premises: a climate activist in Lützerath
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
According to the police, the evacuation of the protest village of Lützerath near the Rhenish opencast lignite mine has ended, with the exception of two activists who are waiting in a tunnel.
"There are no other activists in the Lützerath area," the police said on Sunday.
The buildings had already been cleared by Friday, now also the total of 35 "tree structures" and almost 30 wooden structures.
Almost 300 people were taken away from Lützerath, with four acts of resistance taking place, according to the police.
Since the eviction began, 154 investigations have been initiated.
More than 70 police officers have been injured since the evacuation operation began last Wednesday.
Nine activists were taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
"Fortunately, no one was seriously injured," the police said.
The organizers of the anti-coal demonstration on Saturday, on the other hand, spoke of several critically injured participants in the rally.
After clashes between demonstrators and police officers, allegations of violence flew back and forth on Sunday.
According to the police, around 1,000 mostly masked "disturbers" tried to penetrate the closed-off area of Lützerath on the edge of the demo.
To repel them, the police used water cannons, batons and pepper spray.
Twelve people were arrested or taken into custody.
According to the police, 30 service vehicles were damaged, eight of them by worn side mirrors, graffiti and stone throwing.
In addition, 32 tires on the police vehicles were punctured.
The organizers of the demo and spokesman for the Lützerather activists accused the police of excessive violence.
A spokeswoman for the protesters' medical service said a "high two-digit to three-digit number" of participants were injured.
Among them were many seriously injured and some critically injured people.
The police "systematically hit activists in the head".
Greta Thunberg: "You are the saints and the hope"
On Saturday, Greta Thunberg, the star of the climate movement, traveled to Erkelenz out of solidarity.
In an interview with SPIEGEL, she said of the occupations as a means of the climate movement: »What they did here was very impressive and drew a lot of attention.
I also notice that the international climate movement is taking a very close look and exchanging views on this.
The actions here triggered something.«
In a dpa interview, Thunberg described the landscape around Lützerath as "Mordor" - like the rugged, treeless realm in which the English author JRR Tolkien once located the ultimate evil in his fantasy world of Middle-earth.
As the keynote speaker at a rally on Saturday, she called out to the audience: »You are the saints, and you are the hope!« – they are the saints and the hope.
And at the end in German: I say "Lützi - you say?" - "Stay!", added the crowd.
On Sunday afternoon, Greta Thunberg surprisingly appeared again at the edge of the lignite opencast mine near Lützerath, thickly wrapped up in a hat and hooded jacket.
A dpa reporter reported that she took part in a spontaneous demonstration and sang and danced with other climate activists.
A police spokesman said Thunberg briefly sat on a wall at the edge of the mine.
For their own safety, police officers had asked them to leave the wall.
When she failed to do so, the officers carried her a few steps further away.
The same went harmoniously.
The Swedish climate activist then went her own way.
ele/dpa