Greta Thunberg’s trial for anti-oil protest begins in London
- February 1, 2024
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg went to judgment on Thursday on crime against public order in connection with the protest at the conference on Oil And gas noted
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg went to judgment on Thursday on crime against public order in connection with the protest at the conference on Oil And gas noted in London last year.
Thunberg, 21, appeared in a magistrate’s court on Thursday. Westminster along with four other defendants, aged between 19 and 59, who have pleaded not guilty to any offense classified under the Public Order Act.
This comes after the young woman, who became a well-known activist around the world after weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, was arrested on October 17 during a demonstration last year against fossil fuel.
The indictment refers to his participation in a protest organized by the organization. Fossil Free London held outside the hotel Intercontinental, located in the vicinity of the city. Mayfair, Near Hyde Park, Where Energy Intelligence Forum heads of energy companies.
Thunberg and other activists “blocked” the entrances and exits to the hotel, as well as the road, and “refused” to comply with the agents’ instructions when they asked them to move away and leave the access roads clear.
The five are accused of failing to comply with senior police officers’ request that the protest be moved to a designated area near the conference.
During the court hearing against the Swedish woman, the Swedish activist intervened only this Thursday to confirm her identity and date of birth.
As a witness, Superintendent Matthew Cox of London Metropolitan Police (Met) He said police had limited resources during the protest to deal with the “rapidly changing situation.”
A lawyer spoke at the interrogation Prosecutor’s office, Police officer Luke Staton explained that officers first tried to talk to the activists blocking access to the hotel and ask them to open the entrances before resorting to arrests as a last resort.
Following the arrest of activists who refused to comply with police orders to leave the area, “it became very clear that as soon as the police removed one activist, another quickly took his place (and the blockade continued),” he noted.
In Thunberg’s case, the police officer noted that she was given a “final warning” to move to a designated location, but after refusing and being told to “stay put,” she was detained.
He also considered the arrests a “necessary measure” because “most of the people inside the hotel” could not get out, and anyone from outside could not enter.
The trial is being conducted by a judge without a jury and is expected to last at least two days. If found guilty, the accused face a maximum fine of £2,500 each.
At a previous hearing in November 2023, Thunberg pleaded not guilty in front of the same court, as did two other Fossil Free London (FFL) activists and two others from Greenpeace, accused of violating the Public Order Act.
In a statement released this morning, Greenpeace UK activist Maya Darlington said Thunberg’s trial “reflects that the government is more concerned with increasing the profits of oil executives than fighting for a future for all.”
In the same note, FFL organizer Joanna Warrington expressed regret that Great Britain “criminalizes peaceful climate activists like Greta while rolling out the red carpet for climate criminals in Mayfair hotels.”
(According to EFE and Reuters)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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