BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Left Party leader Janine Wissler has called the protests against coal mining near Lützerath an "absolute success" and raised critical questions about the police deployment. "The campaigners have succeeded in really putting the focus back on climate protection," Wissler said in Berlin on Monday. "It's back on the agenda."

The mining of the village of Lützerath in North Rhine-Westphalia to extract lignite is nonsensical, Wissler reiterated. "Due to RWE 's profit interests, the hopes of an entire generation in Lützerath are being dredged." She could "very well understand the anger and disappointment about the policy of the traffic light and especially about the policy of the Greens."

Referring to the police operation against demonstrators on Saturday, she said critical questions must be asked about the costs and about reports of disproportionate police violence. "Many things about this deployment tactic, I think, must also be questioned very critically," Wissler added. She said that also applied to the role of energy company RWE, which had provided prisoner transport vehicles to the police.

On Saturday, thousands had demonstrated near Lützerath against the mining of lignite. According to police, on the fringes of the demonstration, around 1000 largely masked "disruptors" had attempted to enter the cordoned-off area of Lützerath. The police used water cannons, batons and pepper spray against them./vsr/DP/jha