Greta Thunberg
On Friday, an English court dismissed a public order prosecution against climate activist Greta Thunberg, citing unlawful conditions imposed by police on protesters.
on the second day of the 21-year-old Swedish activist’s trial in London, District Judge John Law dismissed the case against her and four other activists.
The judge ruled that they were arrested at an environmental protest in the British capital last October, and police attempted to impose unlawful conditions.
Greta Thunberg, a global figure in the fight against climate change, was among dozens of activists detained for impeding entry to a major oil and gas conference attended by firms at a luxury hotel.
In November, she pled not guilty to violating public legislation, along with two Fossil Free London (FFL) protesters and two Greenpeace activists.
In his verdict, Law stated that the requirements set on protestors were so unclear that it was illegal, implying that anyone failing to comply was committing no offense.
Greta Thunberg, who gained international notoriety as a 15-year-old by launching school strikes in her native Sweden, often participates in such demonstrations.
She was fined in October for blocking the port of Malmo in Sweden, just a few months after being forcibly removed by police at a demonstration against coal consumption in Germany.
She also participated in a march last weekend in southern England to protest the expansion of Farnborough airport, which is primarily used by private jets.
Demonstrators greeted forum attendees with yells of ‘Shame on you!’. Some carried ‘Stop Rosebank’ signs, referring to a contentious new North Sea oil development approved by the British government authorized in September.
Police said Greta Thunberg was arrested for failing to obey an order not to obstruct the street where the event was taking place.
Maja Darlington of Greenpeace UK hailed Friday’s ruling as a victory for the right to protest.
She went on to say, “It is ridiculous that more and more climate activists are finding themselves in court for peacefully exercising their right to protest, while fossil fuel giants like Shell are allowed to reap billions in profits from selling climate-wrecking fossil fuels”.
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