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In the German town of Lützerath, scenes of the clearing of the Hambach Forest are repeated.
The activists used this tactic as early as late summer 2018, when the Hambach Forest was being cleared: they were hiding in tunnels.
At that time, the police discovered a sophisticated tunnel system in the Hambach Forest, the symbol of environmentalists’ fight against coal-fired power generation. During the clearing of the Hambach Forest, the tunnels impeded police work.
At that time, the “Rheinische Post” quoted a police representative as saying: “The tunnels are reminiscent of the underground facilities during the Vietnam War.” Now demonstrators are again entrenched in the tunnel, this time in Lützerath.
Activists four meters deep
Special forces from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief are supposed to reach activists who have holed up underground on Friday night.
A police spokesman said on Thursday. You don’t have eye contact with the people, but you can talk to them. A spokeswoman for the group “Lützerath lives” said that the people were a good four meters deep. The activists had prepared for this and actively decided on the action.
Molotov cocktails and stones: Videos show violence during the evacuation campaign in Lützerath(00:45)
This is how tunnels prevent the police from progressing
Entrenching in the tunnel is a tactic that ties the hands of the police as the clearing operation advances. “As soon as any heavy equipment moves here, as soon as demolition or clean-up work takes place, it may be that the tunnel is in danger of collapsing and your life is at risk,” explains the group’s spokeswoman.
The tunnel action is one of many forms of protest with which the climate activists want to hinder the evacuation of Lützerath.
The evacuation of Lützerath
Hundreds of police officers moved to the lignite mining town of Lützerath (D) on Wednesday and penetrated into the place occupied by activists. Blick provides live information on the latest developments in the ticker.
Hundreds of police officers moved to the lignite mining town of Lützerath (D) on Wednesday and penetrated into the place occupied by activists. Blick provides live information on the latest developments in the ticker.
According to a police spokesman, there should be no further evictions of houses or tree houses during the night. However, the police will become active if activists – as in the case of the tunnel campaign – have to be freed from potentially dangerous situations.
Still activists on site
Although many Lützerath defenders have already left voluntarily and the police have partially cleared houses and self-built settlements, there are still activists on the site. “We will definitely keep the place here until the big demo on Saturday,” said a spokeswoman for “Lützerath is alive”.
She concludes with the words: “But even if Lützerath, the village, goes away, we will still have the networking and educational work that we have done here and that have connected us. We will move on and find new places of resistance.” (eu)