The fate of a tiny village has sparked a heated debate in Germany over whether the country will continue to use coal and whether fighting climate change justifies breaking the law.
The fate of a tiny village has sparked a heated debate in Germany over whether the country will continue to use coal and whether fighting climate change justifies breaking the law.
Environmental activists have found themselves in a standoff with police, who began evictions on Wednesday in the hamlet of Lützerath, west of Cologne, which is being bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby brown coal opencast mine.
Some rocks and firecrackers were thrown at officers in riot gear as they marched into the village, clearing roadblocks and removing protesters.
Activists had refused to heed a court ruling issued Monday that effectively banned them from the area.