Greta Thunberg carried away by police at German coal mine protest
- The Swedish climate activist was taking part in a demonstration against the destruction of a village to make way for the mine’s expansion
- With Russia’s gas supply cut in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Germany has fallen back on coal, firing up mothballed power plants
02:08
Greta Thunberg all smiles as German police carry her away from protest
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was hauled away and briefly detained on Tuesday during a protest near a German village being razed to make way for a coal mine expansion, police said.
Thunberg has been in Germany for several days to support protests against the demolition of Luetzerath, which have become a symbol of resistance against fossil fuels.
Images showed the activist, smiling and dressed in black, being picked up by police officers wearing helmets and then escorted to a waiting bus.
Police said a group of activists were detained after having “broken away from the demonstration”, and run towards the edge of the open-cast coal mine.
They were taken away from the “danger zone” by bus, their identities were checked, and then they were released, a spokesman said.
The process took “several hours” as there were a large number of protesters, he said, without giving a precise figure.