Greta Thunberg Detained at German Coal Protest

By Selin A

Greta Thunberg has been one of the most important people in the world of climate activism since the age of fifteen. On one fateful day, Thunberg decided to skip school in order to protest outside the Swedish parliament for more action against climate change. This movement attracted the attention of social media, and the rest was history.

Thunberg, now aged twenty, has done a lot for the climate change movement over the years, her most renowned act being founding the movement ‘Fridays for Future’, better known as ‘School Strikes for Climate.’ This was an international movement led by young people where children skip school on Fridays in order to protest for climate change. So, not only did they get to miss double science on a Friday afternoon, but they also contribute in a movement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was a win-win.

However, recently everyone’s attention has been focussed on the detaining of Thunberg at a German coal protest on 17th January. Along with other activists, she was protesting against the village of Lutzerath being demolished in order to expand a coal mine. Thunberg was detained after some of these activists allegedly ‘rushed towards the ledge’ of the Garzeweiler 2 mine (BBC), although police claimed that the Swedish activist was released immediately after a quick ID check. ‘Climate protection is not a crime’(CNN), Thunberg tweeted a day after the event, after photos of her smiling while being carried by police officers were released, her chill approach to the situation made iconic by Instagram observers.

On a serious note, what these activists were protesting for played a very important role in climate change, as it was stated that the area surrounding Lutzerath yields approximately 25 million tonnes of Lignite, the dirtiest form of coal each year (BBC). If the coal mine expanded, that number could rise significantly, and I’m not completely sure that planet Earth would react positively to that. Although the German government argues that the expansion was necessary to manage German energy demand due to the Russian gas supply disruption, which is fair and true, the death of our planet may take slight priority over that.