Stockholm:

A Stockholm court fined climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday for disobeying police orders after blocking access to Sweden’s parliament during a protest.

Police removed Thunberg on March 12 and 14 after she refused to leave the main entrance, where she was protesting with a small group of activists for several days. MPs could still access the building via secondary entrances.

The court said it fined the activist 6,000 Swedish kronor ($551) and ordered her to pay 1,000 kronor in damages and interest.

Thunberg denied the charges of two counts of civil disobedience, according to an AFP journalist at the hearing.

Asked by the judge why she had not obeyed police orders, she replied: “Because there was a (climate) emergency and there still is. And in an emergency, we all have a duty to act.”

“The current laws protect the extractive industries instead of protecting people and the planet, which is what I believe should be the case,” she said as she left the courtroom.

Thunberg has been fined twice before in Sweden, in July and October 2023, for civil disobedience during similar protests.

In February, a London judge dropped charges against her for disturbing the peace during a demonstration against the oil industry in October in the British capital.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Climate activist Greta Thunberg’s support for Gaza has drawn a sharp response from Israel. On Friday, Greta posted a picture on X, formerly Twitter, in which four activists, including herself, held placards expressing solidarity with Palestine and Gaza.

Reacting to Ms Thunberg’s post, Israel, through its official X handle, took a dig at the climate activist saying that Hamas doesn’t use sustainable materials for their rockets, “which have butchered innocent Israelis”.

“The victims of the Hamas massacre could have been your friends. Speak up,” the post added

Israel also used pictures of three 19-year-old Israelis, who were killed allegedly in a Hamas attack.

.@GretaThunberg, Hamas doesn’t use sustainable materials for their rockets which have BUTCHERED innocent Israelis .

The victims of the Hamas massacre could have been your friends.

Speak up. https://t.co/giHNJxeF6Npic.twitter.com/Z4orsm2UjD

— Israel ישראל ???????? (@Israel) October 20, 2023

The response came after Ms Thunberg, in her post, was seen with a placard that read, “Stand with Gaza.”

Another activist called for a “Free Palestine,” while two other women held placards with messages, “This Jew supports Palestine” and “Climate justice now!”

“Week 270. Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected,” Greta Thunberg wrote in the caption.

Week 270. Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.#FreePalestine#IStandWithPalestine#StandWithGaza#FridaysForFuture
Thread???? pic.twitter.com/0hVtya0yWO

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) October 20, 2023

Some users, however, came to Ms Thunberg’s defense. They pointed out that her expression of support was for Gaza, not necessarily for Hamas. One user wrote, “Your subconscious and true ideals leaked. She said Gaza, not Hamas. This says a lot. good luck editing this next.”

your subconscious and true ideals leaked. she said gaza, not hamas. this says a lot. good luck editing this next.

— ashen ???? (@notashenone) October 20, 2023

Another person accused Israel of “playing the victim card.” 

Stop playing the victim card

— — GEROMAN — time will tell – ???? — (@GeromanAT) October 21, 2023

A user accused Israel of similar actions and brought up concerns about the environmental sustainability of the air and watercraft used by the IDF in the context of restricting movement and impacting Palestinians in the region. “The air and watercrafts used by the IDF to restrict movement and BUTCHER innocent Palestinians in the largest open-air prison for 75 years aren’t made of sustainable materials,” read the comment.

Ms Thunberg’s statement came 270 weeks after she initiated her Friday school strike, which later ignited the global school strikes movement.

Oh I can do this too.

The air and watercrafts used by the IDF to restrict movement and BUTCHER innocent Palestinians in the largest open air prison for 75 years aren’t made of sustainable materials.

— Talia Jane ‍???? (@taliaotg) October 20, 2023

The United Nations revealed that in just 10 days, around 4,200 people have lost their lives and more than a million people have been forced to leave their homes due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with a public order offence after a climate protest in central London, CNN reported. The 20-year-old was one of 26 people charged after protesters gathered outside the luxury InterContinental Hotel during the Energy Intelligence Forum. The protesters chanted ”oily money out” and sought to block access to the hotel on Tuesday.

As per Metropolitan Police, Ms Thunberg is accused of breaching a Section 14 order that police put in place outside the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane, where oil executives were meeting on Tuesday.

”The protestors were asked to move from the road onto the pavement, which would enable them to continue with their demonstration without breaching the conditions,” a statement by Metropolitan Police said. 

Video footage of the incident showed Ms Thunberg, wearing a badge with the slogan ‘Oily Money Out’ standing calmly as two police officers spoke to her. One was seen holding her arm.

Ms Thunberg said at the demonstration, “Behind these closed doors at the Oil and Money conference, spineless politicians are making deals and compromises with lobbyists from destructive industries – the fossil fuel industry. People all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries who we allowed to meet with our politicians and have privileged access to.”

NEW: Greta Thunberg has just been detained protesting a Big Oil conference in London.

This was her powerful message to the fossil fuel industry before she was detained.@fossilfreeLDN#OilyMoneyOutpic.twitter.com/wZAfvAvE7e

— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) October 17, 2023

Ms Thunberg was detained and taken to a police station before being released overnight, police said. She has been released on bail with a trial set for November 15. The other protesters facing charges were also allowed bail.

Greta Thunberg, who became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018, has this year been detained by police or removed from protests in Sweden, Norway, and Germany.

Stockholm:

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was charged with disobeying a police order on Friday, less than two months after she was convicted and fined for the same offence.

Thunberg, 20, was fined 1,500 Swedish crowns ($134) by a Swedish court on July 24 for failing to leave a protest when ordered by police. Straight after the verdict, Thunberg and other activists from the environmental group Reclaim the Future blocked the road for oil trucks in Malmo harbour and were again forcibly removed by police.

“The demonstration did not have a permit and it led to the blocking of car traffic. The woman refused to obey the police command to leave the scene,” the prosecutor said in a statement.

Thunberg, who became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, could face a harsher sentence if convicted a second time. Failure to obey a police order carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)