Activist wunderkind Greta Thunberg has been arrested for the second time in a year, this time in London, as she protested against fossil fuels.
Greta Thunberg was detained in London on Tuesday alongside several others under the Public Order Act as they attempted to blockade a top hotel where oil executives were holding discussions. Police ordered the protesters to move out of the road and onto the pavement to maintain access, but the orders were not obeyed, reports the BBC.
In all, 21 people were arrested, including one for criminal damage. Police said they only arrested those who refused to clear the road.
The broadcaster reports Thunberg said at the rally prior to her arrest: “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…. That is why we have to take direct action to stop this and to kick oily money out of politics.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: In this handout image provided by Greenpeace, Activists from a variety of groups including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion blockade the Intercontinental Hotel as it hosts the Energy Intelligence Forum on October 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: In this handout image provided by Greenpeace, Greenpeace activists unfurl a banner on the outside of the hotel as environmental campaigning groups blockade the Intercontinental Hotel as it hosts the Energy Intelligence Forum on October 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: In this handout image provided by Greenpeace, Greta Thunberg speaks to the press as she joins activists from a variety of groups, including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion, to blockade the Intercontinental Hotel as it hosts the Energy Intelligence Forum on October 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 17: In this handout image provided by Greenpeace, Activists from a variety of groups including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion blockade the Intercontinental Hotel as it hosts the Energy Intelligence Forum on October 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace via Getty Images)
The arrest is Thunberg’s second this year. As reported in July, the now-veteran — at 20 years of age — activist refused to leave the road outside an oil terminal in southern Sweden during a protest and had to be physically carried away by officers.
While Thunberg has been detained or otherwise removed at several protests in her career, the southern Sweden terminal protest was the first time she was prosecuted. Although she faced up to six years, the Swedish court in fact ordered her to pay a small fine.
Speaking after getting a criminal record, Thunberg was scathing and said: “My actions are justifiable. I believe that we are in an emergency that threatens life, health and property… We are in a climate emergency and we don’t want to wait for someone to act. We chose to block oil trucks.”
