The small village of Luetzerath, in western Germany, will soon disappear as the nearby Garzweiler open-pit coal mine expands. Climate activists have occupied parts of the village for nearly two years, staging protests against the expansion of the enormous mine and increased fossil-fuel use. A court recently rejected a last-ditch legal effort to halt the destruction of Luetzerath, and this week, police officers were authorized to move in and begin evicting demonstrators. Today, several hundred protesters climbed onto roofs and into treetops, staging a sit-in protest, as police began removing them from the village.
Despite Protests, a German Coal Mine Expands
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![A person sits in a hammock suspended high above the ground from ropes and logs as a large group of riot police gather below.]()
Read morePolice officers stand guard near an activist in a hammock suspended from a structure during a demonstration in Luetzerath, Germany, a village that is about to be demolished to allow for the expansion of the Garzweiler open-cast coal mine, on January 10, 2023. #
Thilo Schmuelgen / Reuters -
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![A huge excavating machine sits inside a deep, open pit, removing soil from the edge of the pit and erasing existing farm fields.]()
Read moreA bucket excavator removes layers of soil and sand from former farmland during an expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine on April 22, 2022, near Erkelenz, Germany. #
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![An aerial view of a small farm village beside a vast open coal-mine pit.]()
Read moreBucket-wheel excavators come closer to the isolated village of Luetzerath, mining coal in the expanding Garzweiler coal mine in western Germany, on October 16, 2022. #
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![Steam rises from a coal-fired power plant, seen in the distance, beyond fields and a flock of sheep.]()
Read moreA flock of sheep graze in front of a coal-fired power plant at the Garzweiler coal mine near Luetzerath on October 16, 2022. #
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![A large crowd of protesters stand near an open coal-mine pit.]()
Read morePeople demonstrate in Luetzerath, a village that is about to be demolished to allow for the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine, on January 8, 2023. #
Thilo Schmuelgen / Reuters -
![Protesters stand at the edge of a deep open coal-mine pit.]()
Read moreActivists protest at the Garzweiler coal mine near Luetzerath on January 8, 2023. #
Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty -
![A nighttime view of a large piece of machinery digging and moving huge amounts of soil.]()
Read moreA bucket-wheel excavator mines for coal at the Garzweiler coal mine near Luetzerath on November 2, 2022. #
Michael Probst / AP -
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![A nighttime view of a person standing inside a tent with four treehouses visible in the background.]()
Read moreTreehouses are seen in the background as an environmental activist enters a so-called rest-and-relaxation tent in Luetzerath on January 10, 2023, after anti-coal activists staged an "active defense" of the village. #
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![Four people wearing white protective gear sit on a ledge outside a treehouse.]()
Read moreActivists stage a sit-in protest in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
Thilo Schmuelgen / Reuters -
![An aerial view of riot police meeting with protesters on a rural road]()
Read morePolice officers and demonstrators meet on a road in Luetzerath on January 10, 2023. #
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![The sun rises behind several police officers wearing riot gear.]()
Read moreThe sun rises behind police officers wearing riot gear outside Luetzerath on January 10, 2023. #
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![A person wearing white protective gear sits cross-legged, meditating, while another stands near a fire in the background.]()
Read moreAn activist meditates in Luetzerath on January 2, 2023. #
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![Protesters sit on ropes hanging from tall poles in a road.]()
Read moreClimate activists sit, suspended by tripods, blocking a road in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![A person sits in a white-plastic chair in a field at the edge of an open coal-mine pit, with a large excavator visible in the background.]()
Read moreThe Garzweiler open-pit mine in the village of Luetzerath on January 10, 2023 #
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![Riot police stand in a line on a road on a rainy night.]()
Read morePolice officers in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023, before starting the evacuation of anti-coal activists ahead of a planned demolition to expand the nearby coal mine #
Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty -
![Two protesters embrace as they sit on a platform in a tree beneath a tarp.]()
Read moreEnvironmentalists sit on a treehouse platform in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023, as police start the evacuation of the village. #
Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty -
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![Police officers stand in front of a row of five treehouses.]()
Read morePolice officers stand in front of treehouses during a demonstration at Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![Police officers carry a demonstrator on a muddy road.]()
Read morePolice officers carry a demonstrator to clear a road in Luetzerath on January 10, 2023. #
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![Police officers detain an activist, pressing their face to the ground.]()
Read morePolice officers detain an activist in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![Several riot police officers gather around and on a series of shacks and treehouses occupied by protesters.]()
Read morePolice officers try to remove protesters from treehouses on January 11, 2023. #
Christian Mang / Reuters -
![Riot police carry two protesters away from a barn.]()
Read morePolice officers remove activists from a barn in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
Ina Fassbender / AFP / Getty -
![Several protesters sit on top of a pole or on top of a roof.]()
Read moreActivists stage a sit-in protest against the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
Christian Mang / Reuters -
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![A police officer in a cherry picker speaks with an activist who sits in a tree among many ropes.]()
Read moreRiot police confront activists in trees, during an eviction of demonstrators in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![Two police officers walk on a muddy road. One of them pulls a small wagon with a protester seated in it.]()
Read morePolice officers cart away activists in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
Andreas Rentz / Getty -
![A large machine is used to move debris, with riot police and protesters visible in the background.]()
Read moreAn excavator removes a structure as activists stage a sit-in protest against the expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine in Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![Riot police escort a detained protester dressed in white protective gear.]()
Read morePolice officers lead a protester away from Luetzerath on January 11, 2023. #
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![A police officer and dog stand guard at the edge of a huge open-pit mine.]()
Read moreA police officer stands guard at the demolition edge of the Garzweiler open-pit coal mine, near Luetzerath, on January 11, 2023. #
Michael Probst / AP
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