After the evacuation of Lützerath, the sports field in the neighboring town of Keyenberg was full of tents. But in the meantime climate activists have given up the camp. Only two cars are left.
Erkelenz (dpa / lnw) - The protest camp of climate activists in the Erkelenz district of Keyenberg at the Garzweiler opencast lignite mine no longer exists. The police in Aachen said it had been dismantled in the past few days. Only two cars that would be assigned to the protest scene are still there.
After the police cleared the neighboring town of Lützerath in January, several hundred climate activists settled in tents in Keyenberg. They had previously lived in occupied buildings, tents and tree houses in Lützerath and wanted to prevent the eviction. A large contingent of police officers from several federal states cleared Lützerath within five days from January 11th.
Immediately afterwards, many demonstrators went to nearby Keyenberg, where many tents were set up on a sports field. At times between 1000 and 1500 people were housed there. At the beginning of February, a walk through the village demonstrated against the mining of lignite and for a climate-friendly development of the region. The climate activist Luisa Neubauer also took part.
According to the All Villages Remain initiative, there will continue to be monthly village walks in the future. Keyenberg, which is 90 percent empty, is one of five villages near the Garzweiler opencast lignite mine that are not to be dredged after the early phase-out of coal in 2030.
In an open letter, some of the remaining residents of the "ghost villages" complained, among other things, about the intimidating behavior of climate activists in Keyenberg, as well as burglaries in vacant houses and disregard for private property. As a result, NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) met with residents.
