Greta Thunberg Faces Charges for Blocking Oil Tankers, Defying Police.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg is facing charges by Swedish authorities for her bold defiance of the police during a protest that aimed to block oil tankers from entering a port.

On June 19, Thunberg, 20, was arrested along with several other courageous protestors after she refused to comply with the police order to leave the scene of a climate change demonstration, as reported by Swedish prosecutors, per CNN. Although the initial report did not confirm Thunberg’s identity, Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Annika Collin later verified that she was indeed the woman in question. The protest took place at the oil terminal of the port of ​​Malmö, Sweden, where activists successfully halted all oil tankers for six consecutive days, according to the New York Post.

“You have the freedom to demonstrate, but you must not demonstrate in such a way that it causes disturbances for others,” stated Swedish prosecutor Charlotte Ottosen, as reported by local Swedish news outlet Sydsvenskan.

#GALLERY: Greta Thunberg has been arrested following a climate demonstration in Malmo, Sweden.

The 20-year-old took to Twitter a day before being detained stating, “the climate crisis is a matter of life and death for countless people.” #9News pic.twitter.com/bBdsMIp9RQ

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 20, 2023

During the protest, Thunberg proudly shared in an Instagram post, “Today, for the third day in a row, young activists from @tatillbakaframtiden have blocked oil tankers in the Malmö oil harbor. The climate crisis is already a matter of life and death for countless people. We choose to not be bystanders, and instead physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future.”

 

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A post shared by Greta Thunberg (@gretathunberg)

The charge against Thunberg carries a potential penalty of up to six months in jail or a fine, with the AP reporting that a fine is the more likely outcome. Thunberg, along with three other protestors, is scheduled to appear in court on July 24 to address the disobedience charge. 

Thunberg rose to prominence in 2018 with her impassioned speeches criticizing world leaders for their inaction on the “climate emergency.” Her most famous speech in front of the United Nations expressed her frustration, declaring that the leaders of the world have “stolen my childhood and my dreams with your empty words.”