Police guard a lignite excavator near the German village of Luetzerath, 4 January 2023. Luetzerath was to be razed to expand Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. The tactic of energy company RWE was to quickly dredge away areas that can be used for activism and resistance. Photo: Marius Michusch / hessen.social
Police guard a lignite excavator near the German village of Luetzerath, 4 January 2023. Luetzerath was to be razed to expand Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. The tactic of energy company RWE was to quickly dredge away areas that can be used for activism and resistance. Photo: Marius Michusch / hessen.social

BERLIN, 2 January 2023 (AP) – Scuffles broke out on Monday outside a village in western Germany that is to be razed to allow the expansion of a coal mine, a plan that is drawing resistance from climate activists.

Activists threw fireworks, bottles and stones at police outside the village of Luetzerath before the situation calmed down and officers pulled back, German news agency dpa reported.

Protesters previously had set up a burning barricade, and one glued his hand to the access road.

Activists build barricades and set them on fire while the police make preparations for the planned eviction of the village Luetzerath, western Germany, Monday, 2 January 2023. The village of Luetzerath was to be demolished to expand the Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. Photo: Henning Kaiser / dpa / AP
Activists build barricades and set them on fire while the police make preparations for the planned eviction of the village Luetzerath, western Germany, Monday, 2 January 2023. The village of Luetzerath was to be demolished to expand the Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. Photo: Henning Kaiser / dpa / AP

The hamlet is to be demolished to expand the Garzweiler lignite mine, despite protests from environmentalists who fear millions more tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.

Activists have been living in houses abandoned by former residents.

The Heinsberg county administration has issued an order barring people from Luetzerath and, if they fail to leave, authorizing police to clear the village from Jan. 10 onward. Officials have called for a non-violent end to the activists’ occupation.

A lignite excavator works as activists build barricades and set them on fire while the police make preparations for the planned eviction of the village of Luetzerath, western Germany, Monday, 2 January 2023. The village of Luetzerath was to be demolished to expand the Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. Photo: Henning Kaiser / dpa / AP
A lignite excavator works as activists build barricades and set them on fire while the police make preparations for the planned eviction of the village of Luetzerath, western Germany, Monday, 2 January 2023. The village of Luetzerath was to be demolished to expand the Garzweiler lignite coal mine near the Dutch border. Photo: Henning Kaiser / dpa / AP

In October, the federal and regional governments — both of which include the environmentalist Green party — and energy company RWE agreed to bring forward the exit from coal use in the region by eight years to 2030.

But, amid concerns about Germany’s energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agreement also foresees the life of two power plant units that were supposed to be switched off earlier being extended until at least 2024 and Luetzerath being razed to enable further mining.

Protests near German village vacated to expand coal mine