ERKELENZ (dpa-AFX) - Police said they have once again cleared a barricade at the occupied brown coal village of Lützerath. This was done for security reasons, said a spokeswoman on Thursday morning. One person resisted and was taken into custody. But all this happened in front of Lützerath - not in the village itself.

Activists in the hamlet, which is to be dredged for coal extraction, also reported eviction actions at a barricade on Thursday. They called for support. Among other things, there were fears that a hut standing on stilts in the run-up to the open pit would be

- near the edge of the quarry - could be cleared.

Lützerath is a small hamlet near Erkelenz in the Heinsberg district. Activists who want to fight for the place live in the houses whose former inhabitants have moved away. They see no need for the mining and burning of coal. Land and houses, however, belong to the energy company RWE. "The use of the former settlement this winter is necessary to ensure a secure supply of power plants in the midst of the energy crisis," RWE explained.

In preparation for a possible eviction, many police officers have been deployed around Lützerath since Monday. However, the eviction itself is not expected until next week at the earliest./idt/DP/mis