After detention Greta Thunberg said that climate protest is not a crime.

LUETZERATH Germany (Reuters) – Greta Thunberg was briefly detained in Germany on Wednesday during a demonstration against a coal mine expansion. On Wednesday, Thunberg quickly resumed her campaigning and tweeted that protecting the environment was not a crime.

“Yesterday, I was part a group that peacefully protested against the expansion of a Germany coal mine. Thunberg tweeted that we were detained by police, but were released later that night. His whereabouts are unknown.

“Climate Protection is not a crime.”

With other activists protesting against the destruction of Luetzerath in order to allow for the expansion by RWE of an opencast coal mining site, she was taken into custody.

Thunberg was taken away by three officers, and one of her arms was held at a distance from the mine’s edge. She was then escorted back to the police vans. She was later released.

She described the expansion of the mine as a betrayal to future generations, and accused Germany of being the largest polluter in the world.

Protests against Berlin’s climate policies have been a source of tension. Environmentalists claim that Berlin is abandoning its climate goals, while allowing for the return to dirtier fuels due to an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion.

(Reporting by Stephane Nickscke; Writing and Editing by Madeline Chambers; Editing and Revision by Philippa Fletcher