The evacuation of the occupied place has begun

“Ouch, I can’t breathe.” – «But nobody’s on you,» replies one of the police officers who are holding a wildly wriggling man in his mid-twenties on the ground. He had previously resisted his arrest with his hands and feet. It is difficult to say in the crowd of police officers and journalists whether the young man is only quoting the African American George Floyd, who died as a result of police violence, or whether he actually has breathing problems. However, the alleged complaints can only have been granted for a short time. The police officers quickly turn him onto his back before carrying him away.

Shortly before eleven o’clock on Wednesday morning it is there in the small town of Lützerath, northwest of Cologne, which is to give way to lignite mining. The police have been in action for more than two hours to clear the place occupied by hundreds of demonstrators. At eight o’clock, when heavy rain turns the ground into brown mud, it still seems peaceful. Drones buzz over the area, which is not far from the edge of the huge mining crater Garzweiler II. The demonstrators encourage themselves with singing to the harmonica.

Shouting and scuffles accompany the evacuation

But a little later, the officials advance in long chains. Early on Wednesday morning, the police managed to bring many police officers close to the occupied village without any problems. The police will later speak of more than a thousand law enforcement officers in action. They quickly separate the individual groups that want to stand in the way of the evacuation. Roaring and scuffles with the pushed back demonstrators accompany the process.

Police officers soon appear in the entire town – the nightmare of all demonstrators has become reality. At around 9 a.m., the police called for the first time over loudspeakers to leave the premises voluntarily. Anyone who follows this has no further consequences to fear. After a period of 15 minutes, coercive measures would then threaten. Such calls are made a number of times thereafter. Some demonstrators then left the site voluntarily. There will be no turning back for them. A site fence is being erected around the site at great speed. The speed at which all this is happening surprised even the demonstrators.

For many, Lützerath was a left-wing utopia

One of them sits on a monopod like an ancient pillar saint. For hours, the hooded 22-year-old has been holding out on the high wooden stele, despite the wind and weather. He wants to make the eviction more difficult. “The police are quick, that’s true. But we have a lot of tree houses. It will take forever to clear them, »he is sure. Like most demonstrators, he does not want to reveal his name.

In fact, the windy wooden constructions, some of which are installed at great heights, pose a challenge for the police. Lift vehicles and special forces, so-called height intervention teams, are needed. Those who have entrenched themselves there mean business. Many of the mostly young people who have settled in Lützerath for the last two years, either completely or temporarily, do not just want to serve climate protection. Stickers and slogans for trans rights and against sexism, for open borders and against racism can be found everywhere. For many, Lützerath was a left-wing utopia, a bet against “fossil capitalism”, an alternative to the existing order.

«Self-government is the goal»

«What we want is not much. Self-government is the goal,” echoes back and forth between the buildings in which young people hooded in black have holed up. A symbol at the entrance identifies them as supporters of the left-wing extremist Antifa. They shouted at the police some cocky remarks – “run while you can” – some insults. They are pigs and badly paid hooligans who should fuck off. Yes, police officers also have names and addresses, others threaten. On a guitar, a young woman sings “It’s not worth abiding by the law, my darling” to the melody of a well-known hit. Bottles fly out of the building in the direction of the police. This retreats.

Violence erupted elsewhere shortly after the evacuation began. A climate extremist fires a whole battery of firecrackers at a police team. Stones and Molotov cocktails are also thrown. In the afternoon, however, the police only had two slightly injured emergency services to report. Neither police officers nor demonstrators were seriously injured.

Around noon, while the eviction is in full swing, demonstrators tinker with a cardboard sign in the courtyard of an occupied building. “Nonviolent blockade” is written on it. Several young people are crouching on the floor and coloring in the capital letters with colored pencils. “We are definitely against violence,” explains a young man. He also does not want to give his name. But one could understand that others had had bad experiences with the police and wanted to fight back. That doesn’t sound like an unconditional distinction.

“We’re all fighting for the same cause”

Nor do you want to distance yourself from the extremists of Antifa, who live in the house next door. “We’re all fighting for the same cause.” But yes, violence harms the common concern, he says tactically. But in Lützerath no consensus could be found on forms of action. Each barrio, Spanish for district, decides for itself. This means the communes of like-minded people who call themselves after the squats.

He himself did not want to resist an evacuation. But he finds it difficult to understand that the public is scrutinizing the behavior of the demonstrators in such a way. The real scandal is how sluggish the political system is in dealing with climate change.

“I’m afraid that in thirty or forty years Europe will no longer be habitable.” As a result of climate change, 100 million people would then move north from the global south. “Should we then have Frontex shoot them? Or should the right take over? They’re already so strong.” In addition to the ecological catastrophe, from the young man’s point of view, there is also a political one.

It is unshakable convictions like these, coupled with tangible fears about the future, that keep a hard core in Lützerath. The police therefore continue to expect weeks and not days, even after what they consider to be a successful start, until the place is completely cleared.