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CLIMATE CRISIS

UK judge dismisses Greta Thunberg protest case

A London court threw out a public order case on Friday against climate activist Greta Thunberg and four other protesters, with the judge criticising "unlawful" conditions imposed by police when they were arrested.

Published: 3 February 2024 09:10 CET
UK judge dismisses Greta Thunberg protest case
Greta Thunberg speaks with members of the media outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London on February 2, 2024. Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP.

District judge John Law dismissed the cases against the 21-year-old Swedish campaigner and the four other activists on the second day of their trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He ruled that police deployed in the British capital in October at an environmental protest had attempted to impose “unlawful” conditions before officers arrested dozens of demonstrators.

Thunberg, a global figure in the fight against climate change, was among dozens held for disrupting access to the Energy Intelligence Forum, a major oil and gas conference attended by companies at a luxury hotel.

She had pleaded not guilty in November to breaching a public order law, alongside two protesters from the Fossil Free London (FFL) campaign group and two Greenpeace activists.

In his ruling, Law said the conditions imposed on the demonstrators were “so unclear that it is unlawful”, which meant “anyone failing to comply were actually committing no offence”.

Thunberg and the other defendants had faced a maximum fine of £2,500 ($3,177) if convicted.

Her lawyer, Raj Chada, said the case against them had been “rightly dismissed”, arguing that the police stipulations “disproportionately interfered with our client’s rights to free speech”. He added: “The government should stop prosecuting peaceful protesters and instead find ways to tackle the climate crisis.”

‘Ridiculous’

Christofer Kebbon, one of the other defendants from FFL, told reporters that the five “shouldn’t be here in court”. He condemned “the climate criminals who are continuing their business as usual and destroying this planet”.

Thunberg, who came to worldwide attention as a 15-year-old by staging school strikes in her native Sweden, regularly takes part in climate change-related demonstrations.

She was fined in October for blocking the port of Malmo in Sweden, a few months after police forcibly removed her during a demonstration against the use of coal in Germany. She also joined a march last weekend in southern England to protest against the expansion of Farnborough airport, which is mainly used by private jets.

Demonstrators had greeted the October forum participants with cries of “shame on you!”. Some carried placards reading “Stop Rosebank”, a reference to a
controversial new North Sea oil field the British government authorised in September.

Police said officers had arrested Thunberg for failing to adhere to an order not to block the street where the rally was taking place.

Greenpeace UK campaigner Maja Darlington hailed Friday’s verdict as “a victory for the right to protest”. She added: “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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SHOPPING

Number of Swedes buying second-hand has more than doubled in five years

In 2018, only 28 percent of Swedes bought second-hand clothes. Last year, that number increased to 75 percent, according to a new report by Swedish second-hand chain Myrorna, which described it as a “complete U-turn”. Why is this?

Published: 22 April 2024 13:37 CEST
Number of Swedes buying second-hand has more than doubled in five years

“Consumer attitudes and behaviours are changing,” consumer researcher Gabriella Wulff, who specialises in the fashion and textile industry, wrote in the report.

Swedish consumers’ attitudes towards second-hand items have changed drastically in the past five years. According to Myrorna, the second-hand market is currently worth more than ever at 20 billion kronor a year, and trade association Svensk Handel expects it to grow by 1.5 billion kronor this year alone.

“It’s no longer just a small number of people shopping second-hand as they can’t afford new clothing,” Wulff said. 

“Instead, we see that second hand has become a hype and that it’s linked to positive values.”

Younger people are more likely to buy clothes or other items second-hand than older people, whether that’s in a brick-and-mortar shop or online, and younger people were also more likely to sell their own items on the second-hand market, with older individuals more likely to donate items or clothing to second-hand shops, like Myrorna or similar shops like Stadsmissionen and Röda Korset. 

More than four in five of those interviewed – 86 percent – said that they sell or donate used items rather than throwing them away, with 72 percent of that group saying they prefer to donate rather than sell.

Why do Swedes buy second-hand?

The vast majority (91 percent) of people Myrorna interviewed – both men and women – said that the primary reason they buy second-hand items is because it’s cheaper than buying new, with the second most popular answer being the environmental benefit.

Almost three quarters of interviewees – 73 percent – were worried about the climate and the future of the planet, with 78 percent saying it is necessary to buy and use second-hand items in order to solve the climate crisis.

The third most popular answer differed between genders. Women said that they liked to buy second-hand as it’s a “fun way to shop”, while men appreciated the fact that they could find unique items.

“Many people like to buy second-hand, partly because it offers a different kind of experience than buying new,” consumer researcher Åsa Callmer, specialising in sustainable consumption, wrote in Myrorna’s report.

“This is partly because people can shop with a better conscience, as they’re not buying a new item of clothing or a new gadget which has been produced in conditions that hurt both people and the environment, and partly because they can buy clothes and items which have their own history.”

“Finding deals and combining these to create a personal style is completely different than buying newly-produced fast-fashion, and many second-hand consumers see it as an important part of their identity.”

What do they buy?

Items purchased in second-hand shops also differed between genders. The most popular items to buy second-hand for both genders were clothes, with 51 percent of women and 22 percent of men saying they bought these items second-hand.

The next most popular items for women were glass and porcelain (35 percent), children’s clothing (29 percent), furniture (28 percent), books and accessories (both 27 percent). Men, on the other hand, had furniture in second place (22 percent), followed by electronics and books (both 20 percent), glass and porcelain (15 percent) and tools (14 percent).

The least popular item for Swedes to buy second-hand was shoes, with over a third of interviewees saying they wouldn’t even consider doing so.

Do Swedes buy more second-hand than newly produced items?

No, at least not where clothes are concerned. On average, Swedes buy 50 new items of clothing per person per year, spending an average of 9,600 kronor a year. That compares to only 1,094 kronor on second-hand clothing – so only a tenth of a Swede’s clothing budget is used on second hand clothes.

“There’s a big step between starting to buy second-hand and adopting a circular lifestyle,” Callmer said. “In order to adopt a circular lifestyle, second-hand items need to replace purchases of newly produced items to a greater degree. Otherwise you’re just buying more items in total, and for a circular economy to be sustainable, the total number of items being produced and consumed needs to decrease.”

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