Climate activists opposed to the expansion of a coal mine in western Germany staged renewed protests at several locations on Tuesday, with hundreds taking part in a demonstration on the edge of an open-cast mine.
The actions, in the western state of North Rhine-Whestphalia, follow the final clearing of the flashpoint village of Lützerath the day before.
German energy company RWE, which owns the Lützerath site, said that the last activists - who had barricaded themselves in a tunnel under the tiny hamlet for days - left the area on Monday. It has since been completely fenced off.
Several hundred people took part in a demonstration that started in the neighbouring village of Keyenberg and headed towards the nearby Garzweiler mine, according to police. Activists stood near the edge of the open pit, which is dangerous and forbidden, a police spokesperson said.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who travelled to Germany last week to take part in the protests, joined Tuesday's demonstration. She is part of a group of 60 to 70 protesters who are encircled by police on the edge of the mine, according to a dpa photographer on site.
According to an RWE spokesperson, one person had entered the mine and was standing on a "kind of ledge" in the open pit.
As clashes erupted, police officers again used batons and pepper spray against activists, as well as taking to horseback, a police spokesperson confirmed.
In Cologne, about 40 kilometres away, activists glued themselves to roads to bring the Tuesday morning rush-hour traffic to a standstill.
They sat across a street and held up a banner indicating they were from the Last Generation group. Yellow crosses were also visible - the protest symbols used against the demolition of Lützerath.
According to police, access roads were closed and traffic was diverted. A police spokeswoman said that three people were stuck to the street, and a further three had already been taken away.
A dpa photographer observed a traffic jam and angry comments from motorists directed at the activists.
The Last Generation group tweeted a photo from Cologne and declared that "The coal under #Lützerath must stay in the ground!"
In Dusseldorf, about a dozen activists from the group Extinction Rebellion glued themselves to the building of the state's Interior Ministry.
There were further protests at other locations in the region. An excavator was occupied at the Inden open-cast lignite mine near Aachen, which then had to stop work. The Aachen police spoke of about 20 activists involved, while a spokesperson for the energy company RWE spoke of 30 to 40.
According to police and RWE, a group of about 20 activists occupied railway tracks leading to the Neurath power plant near Rommerskirchen. Initially, there were no disturbances at any of the sites.
"There is no coal train running here today. We stand in the way of destruction with our bodies," the alliance Ende Gelände - meaning 'here and no further' - tweeted alongside a photo of activists in white full-body suits on railway tracks. "Climate protection remains manual labour!"
Police forces say they were prepared for several more spontaneous, decentralized actions. The action alliance "Lützerath Unräumbar," (Lützerath Unclearable) which also includes groups from Fridays For Future and Last Generation, had previously called for a joint day of action on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia is set to address some controversies surrounding the eviction this week.
The economic, interior and municipal committees are dealing with various aspects of the fundamental dispute about the necessity and proportionality of the eviction.
