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The initiative "Let the church (s) in the village" criticized the police action on Monday in Erkelenz-Lützerath.
Shortly after her sermon at a church service in the village, a theologian was surrounded by police officers, pushed and beaten several times on the back, said “leave the church (s) in the village” on Tuesday, January 19.
The initiative opposes the demolition of the houses and churches that are to give way to the Garzweiler II open-cast lignite mine.
The energy company RWE started the demolition work in Lützerath on Monday.
The police took action against blockades by environmental activists.
According to the police on Monday, January 18, small groups of up to 20 activists each had blocked two access roads in the direction of Lützerath.
One group briefly prevented an RWE low-loader needed for the demolition work from continuing.
The protests were directed against the planned demolition of the village and other localities, which are to give way to lignite mining.
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The activists were released from their sit-in without any resistance, the police said.
An activist was slightly injured.
There were also two attempts by activists to overcome the barricade fences.
According to the police, the demonstrators followed the evictions.
An event held by activists as a church service went off without any disruptions.
The operation was generally peaceful, said the police, who, according to their own statements, were on site with several dozen officers from the mission team.
The initiative "Leave the church (s) in the village", however, stated that the police had entered the church from two sides when a group of climate activists joined the church.
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The community was finally separated by a double chain of police.
In addition to the theologian, other worshipers were also pushed.
"The initiative repeatedly unsuccessfully demanded an explanation from the head of operations for this measure and the withdrawal of the police chain," it said.
After an hour, the service could be continued.
The initiative demanded a declaration by the Aachen police for this "violation of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religious practice".
The Aachen police could not be reached on Tuesday morning to comment on these incidents.
In addition to the village of Lützerath, other villages are also to be excavated from the Garzweiler II opencast mine.
In the past few days, climate activists had protested on site.
According to RWE, however, the relocation of the village is almost complete.
As early as December, the Aachen diocesan council and the superintendents of the evangelical church districts of Aachen, Gladbach-Neuss and Jülich criticized the fact that the federal government had kept the result of an expert opinion commissioned by it under lock and key.
The report on behalf of Greenpeace shows, among other things, how the remaining villages at the Garzweiler II opencast mine could be preserved on the basis of the coal compromise.