German police clear blockades at village condemned for mine

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

LUETZERATH, Germany (AP) — Several hundred climate activists have tried to prevent heavy machinery from reaching an abandoned village in Germany that’s due to be cleared for the expansion of a coal mine. Their efforts on Tuesday came even as police pushed back protesters and removed road blocks ahead of a possible clearance this week. The standoff between police and protesters followed a regional court’s decision Monday rejecting a last-ditch attempt by the activists to stay in the hamlet of Luetzerath, west of Cologne, which has become a battleground between the government and environmentalists. About 300 people refused to heed the ruling, however, arguing that civil disobedience at the site was justified in the face of the climate crisis.