Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined an estimated 6,000 protesters in Germany who marched through rain and dirt to voice their opposition against the expansion of a coal mine on Saturday.
The demonstrators walked to the village of Luetzerath, about 90 minutes outside Dusseldorf.
The village is slated to be destroyed to make way for the coal mine — a move activists say symbolizes Berlin’s failing climate policy.
“This can be a betrayal of present and future generations… Germany is one in all the most important polluters on the earth and wishes to be held accountable,” Thunberg said on a podium, after she was seen marching with a cardboard sign boasting the German phrase “Luetzi stays,” which is a shorthand name for the village.
“Germany is embarrassing itself immediately,” Thunberg said before the protest began.
Local media has reported clashes between the police and demonstrators, who’ve occupied the village within the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia for 2 years in an try to stop the expansion by energy firm RWE.
Following a choice that allowed RWE to maneuver forward, greater than 1,000 law enforcement officials with riot gear evicted tons of of protesters within the village earlier this week, The Guardian reported.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told Spiegel Lutzerath was the “fallacious symbol” to take a stand on.
“It’s the last place where brown coal will likely be mined — not an emblem for more of the identical, but for the ultimate frontier,” Habeck said Friday.
Nonetheless, activists, including Thunberg, said that Germany should deal with renewable energy, not mining any more coal.
“The science is evident: we’d like to maintain the carbon in the bottom,” Thunberg said.
The 19-year-old climate activist has recently made headlines for feuding with incendiary influencer Andrew Tate before and after his arrest in Romania on kidnapping and rape charges.
The net spat began after Tate tagged Thunberg in a post showcasing his 33 cars, asking for her email address so he could brag concerning the levels of pollution his cars produce.
“Yes, please do enlighten me. email me at smalld–kenergy@getalife.com,” Thunberg tweeted back in a post that went on to receive nearly 4 million likes.