What was Greta Thunberg charged with in the UK?
Greta Thunberg has pleaded not guilty to a public order offence following a protest in central London in October.
The 20-year-old from Sweden was arrested during a demonstration near the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on October 17 as oil executives met inside for the Energy Intelligence Forum.
The protest, organised by Fossil Free London, was attended by around 50 people calling for action against new government plans for gas and oil licences.
The three-day summit was attended by many fossil fuel experts and has grown in prominence over the past few years.
A group of Greenpeace and Fossil Free London protesters gathered outside the court, chanting and holding banners reading “Oily Money Out” and “Make Polluters Pay”.
As she left Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Thunberg was forced to run away from members of the media after a large crowd of photographers surrounded her as she left the court.
What was Greta Thunberg charged with?
Thunberg pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 by failing to leave the highway and continue the protest on the pavement.
The 20-year-old Swedish environmental activist was accused of failing to comply with a condition stated under the Section 14 Act.
Thunberg was among 20 other protesters to have been arrested and charged.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it had imposed a condition for protesters to "prevent serious disruption to the community, hotel and guests" and instructed them to move away from roads and highways.
Who is Greta Thunberg?
Thunberg is a Swedish born climate change activist, who has received global recognition for her efforts to tackle climate change.
She was born in 2003 to Svante Thunberg, an actor, and Malena Emman, an opera singer.
Aged 15, Thunberg sparked a worldwide movement to combat climate change by pressuring leaders and skipping school on Fridays to host regular protests outside the Swedish Parliament.
The international movement started with a handwritten poster board with the message “School strike for climate”, which prompted millions of young people around the world to protest for a climate solution.
Since then, Thunberg has continued to demand for immediate action from lawmakers for the current climate crisis and has been invited to speak at many events including the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City.
Thunberg was recently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and often refers to it as her “superpower.”
In 2019, the youth activist was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and became the youngest-ever Time’s Person of the Year.
Watch: Greta Thunberg profile
This video was produced in September 2021.
