'Remember who the real criminals are'
Greta Thunberg was hit with a fine Monday for defying cops during a protest in Sweden last month — but the punishment didn’t stop the climate activist from taking part in another demonstration, where she was detained by police, just hours later.
A Swedish court slapped the 20-year-old Nobel Peace Prize nominee with a fine of 2,500 kronor (about $240) for blocking oil trucks in the southern city of Malmo during a June 19 demonstration with the “Reclaim the Future” activist group and ignoring police orders to leave.
Shortly after the hearing, however, Thunberg was back at it — getting carted off by cops when she once again blocked access to the oil terminal in the Malmo harbor.
Thunberg had pleaded not guilty to the civil disobedience charges over the earlier protest — and remained defiant in the face of the penalties.
“We must remember who the real criminals are, the ones who are committing the real crime, and that will be true even if we have jailed all climate activists in the world,” she told reporters after the hearing.
“Because we have truth on our side and we have and morality on our side and that will not change.”
Greta Thunberg indicated that she will plow ahead with her protests regardless of the legal repercussions. Getty Images
Her climate change activism has catapulted her to international stardom. AP
Thunberg’s internal profile exploded in 2018 when she helped lead a mass protest against climate change. Getty Images
Thunberg has long warned about the consequences if sufficient steps aren’t taken to mitigate climate change. AP
Thunberg had stressed the protest came out of “necessity” due to the impending climate crisis, her spokesperson said.
The court rejected her argument and found her guilty.
This is not the first time the international climate change star has run afoul of the law.
Thunberg has a history of getting into trouble with authorities. AP
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is detained by police during an action for blocking the entrance to an oil facility in Malmo, Sweden, July 24, 2023. AP
Thunberg and her fellow activists block the entrance to an oil facility in Malmo, Sweden. AP
In January, for instance, she was apprehended by German police during a protest over a coal mine.
Following her Monday hearing, Thunberg vowed to keep up her fight — and apparently kept her word by returning to protest.
“We cannot save the world by playing by the rules,” she said.
With Post wires
Source: New York Post
