Explained: Germany stands against coal mine expansion, Greta Thunberg joins the protest

In the German village of Luetzerath, on Saturday, thousands of protestors marched through mud and rain demonstrating against the expansion of an opencast lignite mine. Among the ranks was the famous climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Let's take a look:

 

As per the organisers, 35,000 protestors took part in the protest, while police have pegged the number at 15,000, reports AFP.

The protest as per reports turned violent, with clashes being reported between the police and the protestors. Talking to AFP, a police spokesperson said that they had used water cannons against "violent" protestors.

As per organisers, dozens of activists had been injured, some due to water cannons and some due to bites from police dogs. Birte Schramm, a medic with the group said 20 activists were taken to the hospital, some of them had been hit in the stomach and on the head by police.

Police on the other hand said that people on both sides were injured, but that they "don't yet know how many" nor how serious the injuries had been.

Luetzerath, which has been abandoned by its original residents for some time, is being razed to make room for the expansion of the nearby open-cast coal mine, run by energy company RWE.

The mine, Garzweiler mine as per AFP is already one of the largest in Europe.

Environmentalists, as per AP, say that bulldozing an entire village to expand the mine would lead to huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

However, RWE, the company managing the mine and the Government say it is necessary to ensure Germany’s energy security.

Speaking at the protest climate activist Greta Thunberg said, "That the German government is making deals and compromises with fossil fuel companies such as RWE is shameful."

She added that "Germany, as one of the biggest polluters in the world, has an enormous responsibility."