Heinsberg (dpa / lnw) – The Heinsberg district wants to implement the instructions of the Cologne district government to clear the lignite village of Lützerath, which is occupied by activists. A refusal would not protect Lützerath from eviction, but only lead to a delay and shift in responsibility, said Heinsberg District Administrator Stephan Pusch (CDU) on Wednesday. Nevertheless, he had “stomach ache when making the decision”.
The mayor of Erkelenz, Stephan Muckel (CDU), had previously announced that he would oppose the instruction, which ultimately came from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. “It cannot be that responsibility is passed down to the bottom,” said Muckel on Wednesday.
As a result, the district of Heinsberg, as the supervisory authority of the city of Erkelenz, must now implement the directive. Pusch announced that he would first have the legal basis of the procedure checked. He cannot yet say when the so-called enforcement assistance request for the eviction will be made to the Aachen police. Before that, he wanted to talk to the climate activists in order to find a peaceful solution.
It was recently announced that the police are planning to clear the area in January.
