The climate activists Greta Thunberg (left) and Luisa Neubauer are also expected to take part in the protest.Image: dpa / Federico Gambarini
Germany
Activists have entrenched themselves in the town of Lützerath in the Rhenish lignite mining area, which the energy company RWE wants to excavate in order to extract the lignite underneath. For days they have been blocking the eviction that began on Wednesday and is progressing. The last building in the village was cleared on Friday, the Aachen police said on Friday evening.
However, there are still occupants in the tree structures. Several activists are said to be still in the tunnel, which was discovered on Thursday. Thousands of people are expected to demonstrate against the eviction near Lützerath on Saturday.
You can find out what’s happening in Lützerath in our live ticker. Here you can read how the third day of the eviction went on Friday.
3.00 a.m .: Thousands expected to demonstrate near Lützerath for an evacuation stop
On Saturday (12.00 p.m.) thousands of demonstrators are expected near Lützerath to demonstrate against the eviction. According to an alliance of environmental organizations and climate policy initiatives, more than ten thousand participants are expected. The protest march first leads through the town of Keyenberg, which, like Lützerath, belongs to the town of Erkelenz. A final rally follows near Lützerath.
Specifically, the alliance is calling for an evacuation stop to prevent the planned excavation of the lignite under Lützerath by the energy company RWE. The initiatives “All villages stay”, “Fridays for Future” and the “BUND” are involved in the demonstration. The climate activists Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer are also expected to take part in the protest.
12:06 a.m .: NRW Economics Minister Neubaur defends the eviction of Lützerath
The North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (Greens) has defended the eviction of Lützerath for lignite mining. It is about the security of energy supply, “we must be well prepared for the worst scenario”, she said on Friday in the WDR program “Aktuelle Hour”. This also includes “securing the use of lignite power generation, which is very harmful to the climate”. She emphasized that the Greens had achieved something great overall in terms of climate protection, namely bringing forward the coal phase-out in the West by eight years to 2030.
Mona Neubaur (Greens) defends the eviction of Lützerath with the security of energy supply.Image: dpa / Rolf Vennenbernd
Regarding criticism from her own party about the demolition of the village, she said:
“I don’t see it as stabbing in the back. I don’t feel betrayed.”
In a democratic party you have to have discussions with each other, that is also a quality of the Greens. The occupation of the party headquarters of the North Rhine-Westphalia Greens in Düsseldorf by climate activists this week occupies her. “That doesn’t leave me cold. To see how people who stand up for climate protection don’t see themselves in what we were able to achieve as a success.”
(With material from dpa and AFP)
She is probably the minister who is currently being criticized the most: Christine Lambrecht (SPD). Again and again, the defense minister’s actions and statements are out of the ordinary. Lambrecht took office with a faux pas: she did not invite her predecessor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) to hand over office – and replaced many of the employees with her own staff.
