Greta Thunberg Detained By German Police At Anti-Coal Climate Protest

Topline

Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg was detained by police Tuesday while protesting against the expansion of a coal mine in Germany that environmentalists say would make it impossible for the country to meet its emissions targets.

Key Facts

Thunberg, 20, was taken into custody alongside other activists taking part in a sit-in protest at the coal mine Garzweiler 2, located in west Germany.

She was part of a group that “rushed towards the ledge” of the opencast coal mine, authorities from the German city of Aachen told Reuters.

Thunberg was stopped and carried by officers “out of the immediate danger area,” police said.

Video and photos show officers wearing riot gear carrying Thunberg, who appeared to be smiling and showing no signs of distress, away from the protest.

Aachen police told the BBC Thunberg had not been formally arrested, and she and the other protesters will be released without criminal charges after police check their identification.

Key Background

Climate activists for weeks have been protesting against the destruction of a small village just east of Cologne called Luetzerath, which sits at the edge of the larger Garzweilervast mine. The village is slated to be cleared in order to expand the mine, in a deal between Germany energy company RWE and the North Rhine-Westphalia state government. The mine is scheduled to close entirely by 2030, but RWE says for now Germany needs coal to ensure the country has enough energy after Russia cut gas supplies after the Ukrainian invasion. Germany has scrambled to shore up its energy supplies since the invasion began last year, opening a terminal to import ship-borne liquefied natural gas from abroad and delaying a controversial plan to shut down the country’s remaining nuclear power plants. Environmentalists have criticized the coal deal, saying the increased greenhouse gas emissions will make it impossible for Germany to meet its 2015 Paris climate accord commitments, according to the Associated Press. Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters were removed from Luetzerath.

Further Reading

Greta Thunberg arrested at German mine protest, will be freed later, police say (Reuters)

Greta Thunberg detained at German coal protest (BBC)

Climate activists dig in to defend German village from coal mine (Associated Press)

Why Greta Thunberg Is One Of The World’s Most Powerful Women (Forbes)