Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 21, was arrested during a demonstration outside the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on 17 October as oil company executives gathered inside the hotel to participate in the Energy Intelligence Forum.
The activists were trying to draw attention to climate issues at the forum. Greta, along with other activists, blocked the entrance to the hotel where the forum was being held. Then, police detained the protesting climate activists.
Thunberg, two Fossil Free London (FFL) protesters and two Greenpeace activists pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in November to breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. She arrived at the same court just after 9 a.m. on Thursday for the trial, which is expected to last two days.
The founder of the School Climate Strike movement walked past members of the media and protesting environmentalists who were showing “solidarity” with the defendants. Maja Darlington, campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said:
The prosecution of Greta and other peaceful protesters reflects a government that cares more about bolstering the profits of oil bosses than fighting for a liveable future for all of us. Instead of cracking down on climate activists, the UK Government should force Shell and the rest of the oil industry to stop drilling and start paying for the damage they are causing to our planet and everyone who lives on it.
FFL activists campaign against the use of fossil fuels by big oil and gas companies.
