Environmental activist Greta Thunberg was temporarily detained in Germany on January 17. She participated in a protest against the expansion of a coal mine near the abandoned village of Lützerath, Deutsche Welle reported.

Thunberg and other demonstrators were taken to the police station for identification. A total of several dozen people were detained. Officially they have not been arrested, she added.

The situation in Lützerath escalated in early January when the evicted village was to be demolished in order to expand one of Germany's largest lignite mines, the Garzweiler. The residents of Lützerath had long since abandoned their village after being compensated by RWE. Then, environmental activists moved in unilaterally.

On January 11, the police launched an operation to evict the activists from Lützerath and demolish the buildings. But the activists resisted - thousands of people from all over Germany gathered for protests in the village. Conservationists believe that the expansion of the coal mine is not only harmful to the environment, but also contrary to the Paris Climate Agreement. On January 15, law enforcement announced the end of the operation, but later the demonstrations continued.