Düsseldorf/Lützerath (dpa/lnw) - The state executive of the left in North Rhine-Westphalia has spoken out against the eviction of Lützerath and announced that it will continue to support the protests in the brown coal town. "The decision of the black-green state government to have RWE dig up huge additional lignite deposits in the Rhenish mining area torpedoes compliance with the climate targets," said state spokesman Sascha Wagner on Saturday, according to a party statement. Civil disobedience is more than legitimate.
The state board wants to increase its presence and support for the protests in Lützerath, it said. Members are encouraged to get involved.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) announced on Thursday a large-scale operation in which squatters would be taken away, barricades removed, houses demolished and trees cleared in one fell swoop. According to the Ministry of the Interior, it is expected to be cleared in January.
Lützerath is to be dredged for coal production. Activists who want to fight for the place live in the houses whose former residents have moved away. At the beginning of October, the Green-led economics ministries in the federal government and North Rhine-Westphalia agreed with the energy company RWE to phase out coal in the Rhenish Revier by 2030.
