Greta Thunberg was among climate activists detained during a protest against the demolition of a German village to make way for a coalmine.

Thunberg was detained after sitting near the edge of the opencast Garzweiler 2 mine, about 5 miles from the village of Lützerath.

“We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please cooperate,” a police officer said to the group...

Riot police backed by bulldozers removed activists from buildings in the village with only a few left in trees and an underground tunnel at the weekend, but protesters including Thunberg remained at the site staging a sit-in into Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Aachen police said: “Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity.”

The spokesperson said one activist jumped into the mine. They said it was not clear whether this person was injured.

Thunberg was among other activists who were released after an identity check, according to police.

The Swedish climate activist addressed thousands of protesters who marched towards Lutzerath on Saturday, calling the expansion of the mine a “betrayal of present and future generations.”

“Germany is one of the biggest polluters in the world and needs to be held accountable,” she said.