German police forcibly removed protesters from tree houses Thursday as they sought to free the way for parts of an ancient forest to be cleared next month for new coal strip mining. Police were hoisted on platforms by cranes to the up-to 25-meter (80-foot) high tree houses constructed on wooden tripods in the forest's canopy. Using megaphones, police warned the protesters they had to remove their tree homes or face being removed. Power company RWE wants to start cutting down half the forest next month to expand a lignite strip mine. Authorities said the removal of all the tree houses would likely take several days.

Source: ABC News September 13, 2018 07:41 UTC