(UnitedVoice.com) – Climate activist Greta Thunberg is in hot water once again, this time for her actions during a Fossil Free London protest. She and over two dozen demonstrators gathered to speak out against an event held by the Energy Intelligence Forum, leading to her arrest. The 20-year-old faces charges of disrupting public order.
BBC News reports that 27 protesters, including Thunberg, were arrested, and 26 were charged. Police allege the young activist disobeyed a Section 14 order police had established ahead of the event, which authorities use to discourage activities that might disrupt communities. The ordinance prohibits excessive noise, disorder, or property damage during assemblies. It also forbids blocking off community access to fuel, water, food, money, or specific types of establishments, including schools, medical providers, houses of worship, transportation, or communications.
Police arrested Thunberg and several others after they refused to follow orders to move their protest off of the street and onto the sidewalk. Twenty-one faced charges of failing to comply, while five were cited for obstructing the road. Demonstrators were speaking out against attendees of the three-day event, previously called the Oil and Money conference, which included executives from Shell and Total.
Thunberg held her first climate protest — a school strike in Sweden — in 2018, when she was just 15 years old. The young woman, who is on the autism spectrum, had suffered from depression and refused to go to school when she discovered climate activism gave her a newfound sense of purpose and happiness. She’s accrued numerous previous fines for her ensuing stunts, and she could face additional punishments for her most recent charges. The activist is out on bail for the time being, but she is set to return to court on November 15.
Thunberg has received harsh criticism from multiple high-profile individuals, including broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer, former President Donald Trump, and even Russian President Vladimir Putin. Conversely, the young activist earned Time magazine’s Person of the Year title in 2019, and she received five Nobel Peace Prize nominations between 2019 and 2023.
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