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GOOD TROUBLE: Here’s why German authorities just arrested Greta Thunberg

GOOD TROUBLE: Here’s why German authorities just arrested Greta Thunberg

Here's why German authorities just arrested Greta Thunberg

World-renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by German police while protesting the demolition of the German village of Lützerath to make way for the expansion of a coal mine.

CNN reported that thousands of protesters have demonstrated the eviction of the town’s residents – with some occupying the empty homes of former residents for more than two years.

Over 1000 law enforcement officers were dispatched to assist with evictions, and hundreds of activists have been removed.

“Some have been in Lützerath for more than two years, occupying the homes abandoned by former residents after they were evicted, most by 2017, to make way for the mine,” CNN reported.

Thunberg and her fellow climate activists have criticized the proposed expansion of the Garzweiler lignite coal mine for contributing to planet-warming emissions and violating the Paris Climate Accords pledge to limit the rise in global temperatures.

The 19-year-old was unapologetic in her resolve to bring awareness to the German village, tweeting support for the small-town community.

Lignite is listed as one of the most polluting forms of coal – which is itself the most polluting fossil fuel.

“It’s such an absurd and catastrophic scenario that Germany, the country where everyone else thinks we have green [policies], is destroying a village to burn coal in the middle of the climate crisis,” said David Dresen, a member of the climate group Aller Dörfer bleiben (All Villages Stay).

Energy company RWE plans to install a 1.5-kilometer fence around the village before it’s completely razed.

But climate activists aren’t letting it keep them from their mission.

“We are taking action against this destruction by putting our bodies in the way of the excavator,” said Ronni Zeppelin, from campaign group Lützerath Lebt (Lützerath Lives).

A Swedish-born activist, Thunberg rose to international prominence after protesting outside the country’s parliament in 2018. The then-15-year-old held a sign saying, “School Strike for Climate,” – and ignited a worldwide movement.

According to the BBC, by the end of 2018, over 20,000 students worldwide had joined the clean energy advocate in skipping classes in protest of the climate crisis.

The next year, Thunberg’s activism would be rewarded with three Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

As she enters her 20s, Greta Thunberg has turned up the heat on her activism – and it shows. Her detainment by German police officers shows that getting into “good trouble” isn’t just for American Gen. Z’ers.

The Lützerath mine is expected to cover 14 square miles, just a half-hour drive from the town of Düsseldorf. Several villages have already fallen prey to fossil fuel expansion in rural German areas – displacing longtime residents and destroying buildings that have lasted for generations.

“It is now up to us to stop the wrecking balls and coal excavators. We will not make this eviction easy,” said Pauline Brünger from the climate group Fridays for Future.

Original reporting by Rachel Ramirez at CNN

Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick

Ty Ross
News journalist for Occupy Democrats.

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