Greenpeace activists scale headframe at Polish mine
A group of Greenpeace activists have climbed a 55-metre-high headframe at the Sczyglowice coal mine in the southern Polish town of Knurow on Thursday to protest against "illegal methane emissions".
Greenpeace spokesperson Marek Jozefiak informed PAP about the protest on Thursday morning.
The activists unfurled a banner from the structure reading: "Dangerous methane is leaking from here."
In a statement published on its website, Greenpeace wrote that "Silesian coal mines illegally release huge amounts of methane to the atmosphere, and their impact on the climate is bigger that the Belchatow power plant".
The Belchatow Power Station in central Poland is Europe's largest coal-fired power plant.
The activists are calling on the government to "end this illegal activity."
JSW spokesman Wojciech Sury said in a statement sent to PAP that eight Greenpeace activists had forced their way onto the mine's premises on Thursday morning and then climbed a 55-metre-high headframe.
"The police and fire brigade are on site," he wrote. "The emergency services are awaiting the arrival of a negotiator."
Sury added that "the illegal action by Greenpeace activists has caused direct threat to the lives and health of mine employees."
After several hours, police persuaded the activists to leave the structure.
"Following discussions with the police, the protesters voluntarily left the tower and then the mine site," Marzena Szwed of the Gliwice police told PAP.
She added that police were conducting proceedings involving the activists.
Greenpeace's Jozwiak also confirmed the end of the protest to PAP: "Following a peaceful protest, the group of eight activists left the headframe and surrendered to the police. The protesters were taken to a police station in Gliwice." (PAP)
jd/jch
