German anti-coal protesters given last warning
STORY: The demonstrators, many wearing masks or balaclavas, have for weeks been making a last stand against the Garzweiler mine run by energy firm RWE in the abandoned village of Luetzerath in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
They have formed human chains, staged sit-in protests and occupied the deserted buildings in Luetzerath, which will be razed to the ground to make way for the mine's expansion. Some dug themselves into holes in the ground.
Local police had said there were preparing for a challenging Luetzerath evacuation, urging protesters to avoid violence.
The protest follows a regional court decision on Monday (January 9) upholding a decision from 2022 to evacuate the village whose land and houses now belong to RWE.
