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ENVIRONMENT

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to face trial again

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will face court again at the end of September, charged with 'resisting arrest' at a protest.

Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to face trial again
Greta Thunberg at a previous trial at Malmö District Court. Photo: Andreas Hillergren/TT

Police forcibly removed the 20-year-old campaigner from a climate rally in the Swedish port city on July 24th.

“The protest was unauthorised and led to traffic being blocked. The young woman refused to obey police order to leave the site,” said prosecutor Isabel Ekberg.

“This is therefore a case of refusal to comply.”

Hours before the July rally, Thunberg received a court fine after a short trial and conviction for disobeying police at a previous protest at the same port on June 19th.

The rally, organised by environmental activist group Reclaim the Future, tried to block the entrance and exit to the busy port to protest against the use of fossil fuels.

The date for Thunberg’s new trial has been set for September 27th.

The activist shot to global fame after starting her “School Strike for the Climate” in front of Sweden’s parliament in Stockholm at the age of 15.

In addition to her climate strikes, the young activist regularly lambasts governments and politicians for not properly addressing climate issues.

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CRIME

Stockholm court fines Greta Thunberg over parliament climate protest

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was handed a fine for disobeying police orders after blocking access to Sweden's parliament during a protest.

Stockholm court fines Greta Thunberg over parliament climate protest

Police removed Thunberg on March 12th and 14th after she refused to leave the main entrance, where she was protesting with a small group of activists for several days. MPs could still access the building via secondary entrances.

The court said it fined the activist 6,000 Swedish kronor ($551) and ordered her to pay 1,000 kronor in damages and interest.

Thunberg denied the charges of two counts of civil disobedience, according to an AFP journalist at the hearing.

Asked by the judge why she had not obeyed police orders, she replied: “Because there was a (climate) emergency and there still is. And in an emergency, we all have a duty to act.”

“The current laws protect the extractive industries instead of protecting people and the planet, which is what I believe should be the case,” she said as she left the courtroom.

Thunberg has been fined twice before in Sweden, in July and October 2023, for civil disobedience during similar protests.

In February, a London judge dropped charges against her for disturbing the peace during a demonstration against the oil industry in October in the British capital.

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