Erkelenz (dpa / lnw) - The initiative "Leave the church(es) in the village" is planning a carol singer campaign in the Rhenish lignite village of Lützerath on Friday. "We are now receiving pictures from Africa, Asia, South America and Australia in which people with yellow crosses are expressing their protest against the demolition of Lützerath," the initiative said in a statement. "Especially in view of the impending eviction, we would like to once again invoke God's blessing on Lützerath." The network accused the energy company RWE of "senseless destruction".
RWE wants to demolish the hamlet of Lützerath - it belongs to Erkelenz in the district of Heinsberg - in order to mine the coal underneath. The NRW state government plans to have the village cleared by the police in the middle of the month. Climate activists who live in the abandoned hamlet want to prevent that. The Aachen Administrative Court had rejected an urgent application by activists against the ban on staying in the town on Thursday.
Lützerath should not be "abandoned against all reason, against all responsibility and against all protest", demanded "leave the church(es) in the village" shortly before the planned carol singing action in the afternoon. According to the network, it fights for global climate justice. It has 46 parishes and around 130 supporters. They want to bless the village, the houses, the structures and tents of the activists - and also the "people who oppose the destruction with such tremendous effort".
