“We keep fighting”
Activists occupy coal excavators and railway tracks
01/17/2023, 10:55 am
After the embattled Lützerath at the Garzweiler opencast mine has been cleared, protesters in the vicinity start the next actions. An excavator and rails are the target of the demonstrators, the police are on site.
After the evacuation of Lützerath, coal opponents continued their protests and occupied a bucket-wheel excavator in the Inden opencast lignite mine in North Rhine-Westphalia. “Excavators and conveyor belts have been standing still for half an hour,” tweeted the “Aktionsticker Lützerath” over a photo of activists in white full-body suits.
A spokesman for the energy company RWE confirmed the protest action by the “Ende Gelände” alliance. Accordingly, 30 to 40 activists occupied a bucket wheel excavator in the morning, which then stopped working. The police are on their way, said a spokeswoman for the police in Aachen. The emergency services prepared for several spontaneous, decentralized actions.
The action alliance Lützerath Unräumbar, which also includes groups from Fridays For Future and “Last Generation”, had previously called for a joint day of action. Charly Dietz, spokeswoman for “Ende Gelände”, said according to a statement: “We are making a clear statement today. Even if you destroy Lützerath, we will continue to fight: until you stop burning coal, land fracking gas and build motorways.”
Rails blocked near power station
Another protest group from “Ende Gelände” blocked rails near the Neurath power station at the same time. The alliance denounces the fact that coal from the Garzweiler opencast mine is burned there, with the village of Lützerath located at the edge of the pit. According to the police and RWE, there are about 20 people.
People in white suits slowed down the industrial railway to the Neurath power plant.
(Photo: end of site)
“There is no coal train here today. We are standing in the way of destruction with our bodies,” wrote the activists about their action in a tweet. Videos show how the police positioned themselves next to the peaceful demonstrators.
Activists had previously delayed the evacuation of Lützerath for days – until the last two remaining protesters “Pinky” and “Brain” cleared a tunnel they dug themselves. At the same time, demolition excavators were working on the remaining houses in the settlement.