Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday in a northwest German village slated to disappear because of a coal mine enlargement because the united states of America seem to lower its reliance on Russian fuel.

Organizers said around 3,500 humans validated at Lutzerath in the Rhine mining basin, only some hundred meters from the gigantic Garzweiler open-pit lignite mine, one of the biggest in the global.

About one hundred activists determined to protest immediately at the edge of the mine, which can be “extremely dangerous”, local police said in a tweet.

The village, like some others, has long been condemned to disappear to allow the mine to expand further.

Germany is planning to abandon coal by 2030, as part of the fight for cleaner energy sources. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, however, the energy debate has been revived in the country, which is heavily dependent on Russian hydrocarbons, particularly for gas, which accounts for some 55 percent of its energy imports.

To ensure sufficient electricity production while reducing dependence on Russian imports, the German government gave itself the option last month of “suspending” the closure of certain coal-fired power stations, while standing by the objective of phasing out coal by 2030.

“How can we trust the government’s ability to contribute to peace in Ukraine if it is destroying homes and villages in its own country for fossil fuels?” said Ilyess El Kortbi, an activist from the Fridays For Future movement.

Lutzerath has ended up the new rallying factor of the German environmental movement. Activists have constructed huts and are preparing for a confrontation with the police.

Swedish weather activist Greta Thunberg visited the region last September.

The coal that lies below the floor in those municipalities may be “vital from 2024” to supply energy stations, while other mines in the vicinity are last, in keeping with the operator, the RWE institution.