Greta Thunberg slapped with first conviction over climate protest
Greta Thunberg has been fined by a court in Sweden after she refused to obey the orders of Swedish police officers at a climate change protest.
The 20-year-old activist pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying she disobeyed the direct police order to leave a climate protest as an act of necessity.
“My actions are justifiable,” Thunberg told the court in Malmö, according to local media outlets.
“I believe that we are in an emergency that threatens life, health and property. Countless people and communities are at risk both in the short term and in the long term.”
Thunberg was part of a group of protesters that blocked the road for oil trucks trying to gain access to Malmö harbour.
She was charged for failing to leave when ordered to do so by police.
Thunberg has been slapped with a fine for breaching the order, although it is not clear how much she will have to pay, as the fine will be based on her reported income.
Thunberg became the face of the youth climate protest movement in 2018, when she began skipping school each Friday at the age of 15 to stage solo climate protests outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm, holding up a sign reading, “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (school strike for climate).
Despite regular school strikes and protests losing some momentum with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Thunberg has continued to travel the world joining climate protests and speaking at international summits, urging world leaders to act on the climate crisis.
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