Eco-activists teargassed as they storm German coal mine
Environmental activists have broken through police lines and stormed a lignite mine in western Germany, protesting against the use of coal.
A few people from the group EndeGelaende, which translates as “It’s finished now”, managed to break through police lines. The incident took place in Garzweiler, west of Cologne, local DPA news agency reported.
Protesters in Germany try to close down coal mine. Mate of mine watches in the distance. @350http://t.co/wwXLYPQYycpic.twitter.com/dJkAJwXE5V
— RottnestWindTurbine (@Rottoturbine) August 15, 2015
The trespass caused the step-up in security: 1,200 police officers arrived at the site and made several arrests.
Officers used pepper spray, batons, and tear gas against the demonstrators, and were removing the activists from the scene, according to police spokesman Anton Hamacher, as quoted by AP.
Bucket-wheel excavators had to be closed for safety reasons during the protest, the spokesman for German energy company RWE, in charge of the mine, Lothar Lambertz, said.
#EndeGelaende civil disobedience action of thousands of activists in #Germany to #endcoal - 200 made it to coal mine pic.twitter.com/HavyJ2G40l
— Maruška Mileta (@MaruskaMileta) August 15, 2015
Also, RWE decided not to bring employees onto the site to rally in favor of coal mining, Lambertz added.
1000+ peacefully shut down the largest coal mine in Germany to #EndCoal. This'll happen here if #Shenhua does #AusPolpic.twitter.com/G6C71UDmKZ
— Ben (@bensolity) August 15, 2015
The surface mine in Garzweiler is estimated as the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe.
Write to the 1k+ #climate heroes stopping Germany's biggest #coal mine NOW #EndeGelaende
http://t.co/dirXYDhpR2pic.twitter.com/UTVreLyKqK
— 350Australia (@350Australia) August 15, 2015
The EndeGelaende is a coalition of anti-nuclear and anti-coal movements who gathered together to protest specifically against coal mining.
In July, Germany gave up on plans to reduce coal-fired power plants, but will diminish brown-coal power generation to keep its 2020 carbon-reduction targets.
Coal currently provides about 44 percent of Germany's power generation.