Activists try to block access to doomed German village

LUETZERATH, Germany (AP) — Several hundred climate activists were trying to block the entry of heavy machinery into an abandoned village in Germany which is due to be cleared for the expansion of a coal mine after a German court rejected a last-ditch attempt by the activists to stay there. The disputed evacuation of the hamlet of Luetzerath, west of Cologne has become a battleground between the government and environmentalists. Police on Tuesday carried away about a dozen activists who had dug themselves into a trench close to the village. The court dismissed the activists’ argument that civil disobedience at the site was justified due to the climate crisis. Utility company RWE wants to extract the coal beneath Luetzerath, arguing that this is necessary to ensure energy security in Germany.