The conflict over the brown coal village of Lützerath is getting worse and worse. At a concert at the mine, activists throw stones at police officers. There seems to be no alternative for the NRW government to clear the hamlet.
Shortly before a possible evacuation of the occupied village of Lützerath, NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul is already looking at the possible subsequent discussion about the corresponding police operation. He hopes that "the whole thing" will not "as always" degenerate into a debate as to whether the police had to do it, Reul said on ZDF. "We have no choice. If we don't want conditions like in other states - that people take to the streets wildly, that unrest arises - then rules must also be observed," he said.
The energy company RWE wants to tear down Lützerath in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia in order to mine the coal underneath. The land and houses in this place, which is shaped by agriculture, have long belonged to RWE. However, activists who have announced resistance now live in the remaining premises, whose former residents have moved away. Therefore, a large police clearance operation is likely to be imminent soon.
According to the police, activists stormed an event area at the Garzweiler opencast mine on Sunday. The band AnnenMayKantereit gave a concert there. Stones were thrown at security forces and police officers. There was also alleged property damage and property crime. One person was taken into custody.
North Rhine-Westphalia's economics and climate protection minister, Mona Neubaur, stated that she could not accept violence as the means of choice to achieve one's own goals. "Anyone who threatens or even injures emergency services crosses a line," said the Green politician. Violence is always the worst of all solutions. "That's why I ask everyone involved in and around Lützerath to behave peacefully and not to turn the escalation screw," said Neubaur. Police commented that a peaceful event had turned violent for no apparent reason.
