BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The evacuation of the protest village of Lützerath at the Rhineland open-cast lignite mine went largely as expected, according to the police union (GdP). However, the weather conditions with continuous rain and deep mud had made the task forces very difficult, said Andreas Roßkopf, chairman of the GdP district federal police, the German press agency.

For him, it was incomprehensible that peaceful participants had not managed to "distance themselves from the violent participants." This made it difficult for the police to "intervene appropriately here. Overall, the forces had acted with prudence and "the necessary sense of proportion". The federal police supported the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with up to 600 members of the riot police.

Climate protection activists who want to prevent the mining of brown coal had accused the police of using excessive force on Saturday. The forces used batons, water cannons and pepper spray against demonstrators who tried to enter the open pit mine or the village of Lützerath, which had been abandoned by its original inhabitants. According to police, more than 70 police officers suffered injuries at the site since the eviction operation began. Nine activists were taken to hospital by ambulance, they said.

"You can definitely compare the operation with operations in Hambacher Forst," Roßkopf added. Hambacher Forst was slated for clearing in 2018. This site was also about the mining of lignite by the energy company RWE. The threatened destruction of the forest mobilized massive resistance at the time. It took the police weeks to dismantle tree houses and disperse the activists' camp. Later, the clearing was temporarily banned by court order./abc/DP/zb