BREAKING: Greta Thunberg says protesting for climate not a crime

Climate activist Greta Thunberg posted “Climate protection is not a crime” after she was released from police detention during protests in Germany over coal mine expansion  

Greta Thunberg is back at the protest site near the German village of Luetzerath on Wednesday, January 18, after she was detained by police yesterday.  

Shortly after her release, she posted a Tweet explaining her detention and said, “Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening”.  

She had been detained along with several other activists who have been protesting against the demolition of Luetzerath, located in western Germany, where the expansion of an opencast coal mine owned by the company RWE has been proposed.  

Greta also posted that “Climate protection is not a crime”, a day after she had been carried away by three police officers, before being escorted into a police van.  

Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening.

Climate protection is not a crime.#LuetziBleibt #LuetziLebt #KeepItInTheGround #ClimateJustice

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 18, 2023

Luetrzerath has become a centre of debate in Germany after ministers along with energy company RWE have said that the lignite extracted from the mine, will help the country during the time of energy shortage.   

But as per Greta and the other activists, this move to expand the coal mine is a betrayal for the present as well as future generations. She also accused Germany of being one of the world´s biggest polluters. 

Several protests in the past few weeks have been taking place across Germany, as activists claim that climate goals are being neglected in order to bring back highly polluting fuels, to compensate for the energy crisis after the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

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