The claim

The arrest of Greta Thunberg during the protests against the demolition of the village of Lützerath is said to have been made by the police and the media.

Our conclusion

Greta Thunberg was not arrested, but the police confirm an official act was carried out: the climate activist was briefly detained to record her personal details.

Several short video clips that are currently being shared massively are intended to prove that the arrest of Greta Thunberg during the protests against the demolition of the Lützerath coal village was only staged. In one clip you can see how the climate activist relaxes as two police officers hold her and later take her away. Press photographers capture the scene.

Another excerpt shows three uniformed men carrying her away across muddy ground. A journalist can be heard saying (in English): “The police are bringing the first people to take their details.”

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Protests in Lützerath: Thunberg arrested

The photos were taken on January 17, 2023 at the Garzweiler opencast mine site. The energy company RWE is excavating lignite there, and the village of Lützerath is also to be demolished. This has been occupied by climate activists for some time to prevent demolition. On January 11th, the police began evacuating the village with a large force. Thousands of people protested against it on January 14th and again on the 17th of the month.

Arrest Thunberg
Greta also visited the occupied village in 2021. Photo: Christoph Schnüll

In the course of these new protests, a group of around 30 to 50 people moved towards the Garzweiler opencast mine, a spokeswoman for the Aachen police told Correctiv . One person jumped into the opencast mine and others stepped over the walls. However, Greta Thunberg herself did not cross the walls. RWE could file a complaint against anyone entering the premises, which is why it would have been necessary to record the personal details of everyone in this group. The video recordings were taken during a waiting period.

Police contradict allegations of staging

“She was carried out like everyone else and dropped off in between,” a police spokesman told the NZZ . She would not object if photographers asked the police to allow them to capture such a scene. “If we said no, we would hear completely different accusations.” The waiting time arose, NZZ quoted Bild as saying, because the “police station” was already filled with people whose personal details had been recorded.

CONCLUSION: Greta Thunberg was detained at the Garzweiler opencast mining site on January 17, 2023 to establish her personal details, but was not arrested. The pictures are not staged and were taken during a short waiting period.

Rating: FALSE

Sources: Correctiv , Glomex , NZZ , dpa, Deutsche Welle, Greta Thunberg on Twitter, Aachen Police; Cover photo: Glomex/dpa

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