GRETA GRABBED

Eco-warrior Greta Thunberg carted off by police AGAIN as she’s detained at anti-coal mine protest in Germany

Henry Holloway

Published: 16:47, 17 Jan 2023
Updated: 18:00, 17 Jan 2023

GRETA Thunberg has been detained by police again after protesting at an anti-coal mine rally in Germany.

The activist, 20, was pictured smirking as three officers in riot gear hauled her off at the demonstration near Lutzerath.

Greta Thunberg is hauled off by cops during the anti-coal mine protest in GermanyCredit: AP

Police officers escort Greta away from the Garzweiler 2 mineCredit: AP

She was later pictured sitting alone on a busCredit: Reuters

Lutzerath is a German hamlet currently being torn down to make away for an expansion of the coal mine Garzweiler 2.

Greta was then pictured sitting alone on a large bus before being escorted back towards police vans.

Hundreds of eco-warriors have been protesting over the expansion of the mine.

Video footage shows Greta surrounded by cameras as she was carried out with officers grabbing her arms.

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Greta was picked up and carried away on Sunday as police cleared the last of the activists from the site.

And she was taken away by police again today during the new renewed march - even as the area is sealed off by cops.

Several activists ran over to the mine and stood on the edge of the pit which has a steep drop.

Police said it was dangerous and people were prohibited from staying there.

Thunberg was one of several protesters carried away by police from the mine's edge in the afternoon, reported local media.

One of the eco-protesters also reportedly jumped into the mine, but was not immediately clear if they were injured.

Eco-warriors are marching against the mine's expansion - and further protests on roads and on railway lines were reported across Germany.

In an operation that began last Wednesday, hundreds of police had been removing activists from Lutzerath.

The site, which has become a symbol of resistance to fossil fuels, attracted thousands of protesters over the weekend, including Greta.

And it comes after her high profile spat with misogynist influencer Andrew Tate just days before he was arrested for trafficking in Romania.

Some 70 cops were reportedly hurt during the clashes.

Criminal proceedings have been launched in around 150 cases, police said, including for resistance against police officers, damage to property and breach of the peace.

Police officers stand in front of a group of protesters - including GretaCredit: AP

She is led away by cops at the sceneCredit: Reuters

Protest organisers reported that dozens had been injured in clashes with cops.

Indigo Drau, a spokeswoman for the organisers, on Sunday told a press conference the police had gone in with "pure violence".

Organisers said that 35,000 protesters demonstrated on Saturday.

Police put the figure at 15,000.

Activists on Saturday had accused the police of using "massive batons, pepper spray... water cannons, dogs and horses".

At least 20 activists had been taken to hospital for treatment, said Birte Schramm, a medic with the group.

Some of them had been beaten on the head and in the stomach by police, she said.

Organisers said that 35,000 protesters demonstrated on Saturday. Police put the figure at 15,000.

A police spokesman said on Sunday around 70 officers had been injured since Wednesday, many of them in Saturday's clashes.

Criminal proceedings have been launched in around 150 cases, police said, including for resistance against police officers, damage to property and breach of the peace.

The situation on the ground was "very calm" on Sunday, the police spokesman said.

About a dozen activists were still holed up in tree houses and at least two were hiding in an underground tunnel, according to the police.

Lutzerath - deserted for some time by its former inhabitants - is being demolished to make way for the extension of the adjacent open-cast coal mine.

The mine, already one of the largest in Europe, is operated by energy firm RWE.

The expansion is going ahead in spite of plans to phase out coal by 2030, with the government blaming the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.