By John Ensor • Published: 03 Feb 2024 • 9:48
Greta Thunberg: Climate protest is not a crime. Credit: gretathunber/Instagram.com
In a landmark ruling the Swedish climate advocate was exonerated by a UK court.
On Friday, February 3, a case against Greta Thunberg was thrown out of court after the judge criticised the action of the UK police.
The event took place on October 17, 2023, in which activists prevented access to a hotel venue with was hosting the Energy Intelligence Forum, an event frequented by elite industry figures.
Thunberg and 25 others were charged by the Metropolitan Police following their participation.
Applause filled the courtroom as Judge John Law instructed Thunberg and her four co-defendants to rise, announcing their acquittal on charges of violating the Public Order Act due to ‘significant deficiencies in the evidence’ presented by the prosecution.
Judge Law critiqued the police for their possible use of milder measures and the vague dispersal directive.
He went on to say that the order to disperse that was given was ‘so unclear that it was unlawful,’ leading to the dismissal of charges against Thunberg and four others
He also agreed to a request from defence lawyer Raj Chada for the state to cover legal and travel expenses.
Before the hearing Thunberg had posted her thoughts on social media: ‘This week, we are unable to have a climate strike.
‘I am one of 5 climate activists currently having a trial in London for peacefully protesting against a fossil fuel conference back in October.
‘This peaceful demonstration aimed to highlight the terrible consequence of the everyday business of fossil corporations.’
She added that, ‘human rights activists all over the world are being targeted for their activism, prosecuted, sometimes convicted and given legal penalties for acting in line with science.’
‘The actual crime is committed by the very industries and companies we are acting against. We have the truth on our side, and we have morality on our side. In time, this will be revealed, she concluded.
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Matthew Cox described the protest as a calculated effort to block hotel access, utilising colourful flares and loud drumming.
Despite these disruptions, the demonstration remained ‘peaceful, civilised and nonviolent’, with the court noting the absence of any testimony from hotel attendees or evidence of emergency service disruption.
The judge’s decision underscores the importance of clear and lawful police orders in managing public demonstrations.
The Energy Intelligence Forum’s agenda to discuss sustainable energy solutions was overshadowed by these events, highlighting the ongoing tensions between environmental activism and fossil fuel industries.
Thunberg’s steadfast commitment to environmental activism has previously seen her fined in Sweden for similar protest actions, underscoring her dedication to the cause.
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Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
This disgust woman is an eco terrorist and should be charged as a terrorist. Her claims are lies, climate change is the natural cycle of our plant and to date there is no proof whatsoever that manking is the cause. CO2 is actually critical to our very existance. Climate change is just another WEF scam and like their covid scam, the truth is coming out now, yes people died but it was really just an experiment to see what governments could get away with. And the gready unelected people will try again, sadly Spain is led by WEF fanatics hence the tyoical facist reactions, even today we have governments telling to wear face mask again. It has been reconized by even the fanatical Biden government that face masks were actually usless against the covid virus, it was just another control prop and it worked, it caused a lot of arguements and fallouts but it has been proved they were absolutely useless. But we still allow Eco terrorists like Greta to spout her lies and get away with it. Wake up people we are losing our freedoms and rights and we are letting it happen right in front of us.
Well said!
I agree with you completely
I hope that the comments by Mac are a weird sort of parodic comedy. If not I think he or she needs treatment for their mental health. There is overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is real and that it is due to human activity. In the couple of hundred years since the start of the ‘Industrial Revolution’ the number of cars, trucks, boats and aeroplanes burning fossil fuels has increased exponentially, along with heating and other fuel use for homes and industry. Do you really believe that has had no effects at all? Greta Thunberg is simply telling the world what it needs to hear and act upon.
I do hope that David C’s heroine, Greta Hypocrite Thunberg, didn’t take an aeroplane again to get to Britain! Mac’s comments, while a bit over the top, carry some truths! Number 1 failure in this instance is (once again!) the judge in her case!
Having read David C´s comments I have one thing to say, No government in the world has actually held a genuine climate change conference based on their claims of a CO2 problem. What we have is lots of people paid by the governments, normally getting government grants etc but many many more scientists saying there is no proof what so ever about CO2 gases causing problems. So I may sound crazy but too date governments have lied about so many things and as far as climate change, well climate change has happend for millions of years long before humans arrived so unless the government have a genuine open discussion I cannot accept their claims.
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