Greta Thunberg ‘could face six months in prison’

THE TELEGRAPH
Our Foreign Staff
Thu, July 6, 2023

Ms Thunberg had to be carried away by police after blocking oil tankers in Malmo harbour - Johan Nilsson/Reuters

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with disobeying police in Sweden last month during a port blockade.

Ms Thunberg, 20, joined a group of young protesters as they stopped oil tankers from entering and exiting the port in Malmö.

On Wednesday, the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan reported that she was detained on June 19, along with an unspecified number of other activists, for refusing to leave the scene when asked to do so by officers.

She could face up to six months in prison or a fine if convicted.

Ms Thunberg had joined the demonstration organised by environmental activist group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden (Reclaim the Future) to protest against the use of fossil fuels.

“We choose to not be bystanders, and instead physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future,” she said in an Instagram post at the time.

Swedish prosecutors say the activist 'refused to comply' - Johan Nilsson/AP

A short statement issued by Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday said a “young woman” was being charged with disobedience because she “refused to comply with police orders to leave the scene” during the protest.

The statement did not identify the woman, but Annika Collin, a Swedish Prosecution Authority spokesman, confirmed that it was Ms Thunberg.

Sydsvenskan reported that she will be called to trial at the end of July.

Prosecutor Charlotte Ottosen told the paper that the crime of disobedience is typically punishable with fines.

School Strike activism

Ms Thunberg rose to prominence after founding the School Strike for Climate movement, also known as Fridays for Future, which quickly became a global phenomenon, drawing children from across the world out of classrooms and into protests calling for action on climate change.

She regularly lambasts governments and politicians for not properly addressing climate issues.

At the end of March, Ms Thunberg condemned what she called an “unprecedented betrayal” from leaders after the publication of the latest report by the IPCC, the UN’s climate advisory panel.

By the end of the century, without aggressive climate action, global warming is estimated to reach 2.8C.

But even at the current level of warming, experts warn that we could pass several climate tipping points.