ERKELENZ (dpa-AFX) - A few days before a possible eviction of the occupied lignite village of Lützerath, further protests have been formed by climate groups against the approaching end of the settlement. Among other things, an alliance presented plans on Friday for a large-scale demonstration with several thousand participants on January 14.

"I think in Lützerath, the protest against a despondent and far too unambitious climate policy is condensing like nowhere else," said Christoph Bautz of the participating campaign organization Campact. The small town in the far west of the country is now "the new hotspot of the climate movement." And they were optimistic that the protests could preserve it, he added.

Lützerath in the Heinsberg district is to be mined for coal, that is actually a done deal. Buildings and land already belong to the energy company RWE, which explains that 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." Mona Neubaur, NRW's green minister for the economy and climate protection, defends the dismantling of Lützerath by saying that the coal phase-out has been brought forward by eight years from 2038 to 2030 to achieve this.

However, resistance has formed against the plans. It is not yet entirely clear how strong the mobilization of supporters will be, called for by activists who, among other things, live in the houses in Lützerath whose former residents have moved away. On Friday, the initiative "Lützerath Lebt!" cited the number of about 300 activists who are now in the hamlet. They see no need for coal mining, so they want to fight for the place. Police have been preparing for a possible eviction for days. It could begin in the coming week.

"Not only the Last Generation will stick to the streets around Lützerath, but all generations will protest together against the coal madness," Christoph Bautz of Campact announced. The "breadth of society" is on its feet - also at the planned demonstration on January 14, for which Greenpeace, Campact and Fridays for Future, among others, have joined forces. It is to take place even if an eviction is already underway at that time.

"Places are always totally central for movements," Bautz said. What Gorleben was for the anti-nuclear movement, for example, Lützerath is now for the climate movement, in his view. "What we are calling for now is really a last-minute halt to the evacuation of Lützerath," he said. Karsten Smid of Greenpeace put it in similar terms. "The evacuation of Lützerath is a political decision," he said. "And we firmly believe that it can still be reversed at the last minute. Like many other political decisions."

Smaller and larger protests have been going on for some time. There were also actions on Friday. In Cologne, about ten activists from the group Letzte Generation briefly blocked a main street. According to the police, they established personal details and diverted traffic. The initiative "Leave the church(es) in the village" announced a carol singing action and prayers in Lützerath.

Meanwhile, a legal battle over the impending eviction also continued. On Thursday, the Aachen Administrative Court had ruled that the ban on Lützerath imposed by the Heinsberg district was "presumably lawful" and rejected an urgent appeal by the climate activists. On Friday, the case was now before the NRW Higher Administrative Court in Münster. A decision was initially still pending./idt/DP/ngu