Police clear barricade in climate protest at German coal village

German police said they have again cleared a barricade at the coal village of Lützerath, which has been occupied by climate activists in a bid to prevent demolition, reported dpa.

The clearing of the barricade was done for security reasons, a police spokesperson said on Thursday morning. One person resisted and was taken into custody. This all happened in front of Lützerath - not in the village itself.

Activists in the village, which is to be dredged for coal extraction, also reported eviction actions at a barricade on Thursday. They called for support. Among other things, they feared that a hut standing on stilts in the run-up to the open-cast mine - near the edge of the quarry - could be cleared.

Lützerath is a small village in the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia. Activists who want to fight for the place live in the houses whose former inhabitants have moved away. They are opposed to the mining and burning of coal.

The land and houses belong to the energy company RWE. "The claiming of the former settlement this winter is necessary to ensure a secure supply for the power plants in the midst of the energy crisis," RWE said.

In preparation for a possible eviction, many police officers have been deployed around Lützerath since Monday. However, the eviction itself is not expected until next week at the earliest.