Greta Thunberg was among the climate activists arrested during a protest against the demolition of a German village to make way for a coal mine.
Thunberg was arrested after sitting on the edge of the opencast mine Garzweiler 2, about 5 miles from the village of Lützerath.
“We are going to use force to take you to the ID check, so please cooperate,” a police officer told the group.
Greta Thunberg among activists at the Garzweiler 2 mine near Lützerath. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Thunberg, who joined the protesters on Friday, was seen sitting alone in a large police bus after she was arrested.
Riot police backed by bulldozers removed activists from buildings in the village with only a few trees and an underground tunnel over the weekend, but protesters, including Thunberg, remained at the site holding a sit-in until Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Aachen police said: “Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed to the ledge. However, we later stopped her and took her with this group off the zone of immediate danger to establish their identity”.
The police surround the activists. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The spokesman said an activist jumped into the mine. They said it was unclear what would happen to Thunberg or the group she was detained with, or whether the activist who jumped into the mine was injured.
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Thunberg was taken by three police officers and held by the arm at a point far from the edge of the mine. She was then escorted to police vans.
The Swedish climate activist addressed around 6,000 protesters who marched to Lutzerath on Saturday, calling the mine expansion a “betrayal of present and future generations”.
“Germany is one of the most polluting in the world and it needs to be held accountable,” he said.