Clearance of German hamlet for mine said to be near-complete

The operation to evict climate activists who flocked to the site in the hamlet of Luetzerath kicked off Wednesday morning and progressed steadily over the following days. Police cleared people out of farm buildings, the few remaining houses and a few dozen makeshift constructions such as tree houses. On Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated nearby against the eviction and the planned expansion of the Garzweiler coal mine. There were standoffs with police as some protesters tried to reach the village, which is now fenced off, and the mine. AdvertisementEnvironmentalists say bulldozing the village to expand the Garzweiler mine would result in huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.