UNITED KINGDOM: Greta Thunberg, a climate activist, was charged by British police on Wednesday following her detention along with several others during a protest outside a London hotel hosting an oil and gas conference.
The Metropolitan Police Service said on Wednesday, October 18, that she had been charged with a public order offence.
The UK police have accused 20-year-old activist Thunberg of failing to comply with a condition imposed under the Public Order Act of Britain following her detention at a protest location. Thunberg has been released on bail and scheduled to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 15.
Two police officers removed her from the protest location and placed her in the back of a police van parked outside the Energy Intelligence Forum.
She condemned “closed-door” deals between lawmakers and oil and gas sector members. London police initially set conditions to prevent public disruption, but these were later broken, leading to multiple arrests.
“The protestors were asked to move from the road onto the pavement, which would enable them to continue with their demonstration without breaching the conditions,” according to a police statement.
According to media reports, several hundred demonstrators blocked the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel during the “Oily Money Out” rally, organized by Fossil Free London and Greenpeace. Protesters beat drums and screamed, “Stop the oil, stop the gas.” They contended that the majority of corporate profits are reinvested in filthy energy, which exacerbates climate change.
Fossil Free London stated that last year, oil firms made billions of dollars in profits, smashing records across the board. They added that CEOs in the oil industry were paid millions of pounds.
The vast bulk of this money is being invested on fossil fuel expansion rather than renewable energy, which they claim to favour, acording to Fossil Free London.
Also Read: Greta Thunberg Calls out Energy Firms, Claiming They are Throwing People ‘Under the Bus’
