Greta Thunberg and dozens of other environmental campaigners blocked the main entrances to Sweden’s parliament today in a protest against the effects of climate change and what they say is political inaction.
Greta Thunberg told Reuters in an interview, accusing politicians of inaction in the face of global warming:
“We are a group of young people who are blocking entrances to the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, to protest against the ongoing destruction of our life-supporting systems and of people already being killed as a result of the climate crisis. That needs to come to an end. We have had enough.”
Thunberg said the purpose of the protest against the climate crisis and the people it is killing was to emphasise that “people in power are ignoring those most affected, activists, youth and science”. She accused politicians of instead “prioritising short-term economic profits”, which she said “sacrifices human life and the planet in the name of greed”.
Thunberg has become the face of young climate activists as her weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, which began in 2018, quickly became a global youth movement with large-scale rallies on different continents.
However, her protests in Stockholm have not usually centred on blocking entrances to the parliament. Today, however, some entrances to the building remained open. Thunberg added:
“The politicians have not been acting. We are still moving in the wrong direction, the emissions are still increasing. Therefore we feel like we have no other choice but to try new, different methods in order to get our voices heard We are staying here for now.”
Thunberg has been detained by police or removed from protests in several countries including Sweden, Norway and Germany in the past year.
Last month, a British court acquitted her of disorderly behaviour charges as a judge ruled that police had no right to arrest her and other protesters in London last year. Thunberg said today:
“The climate crisis is only going to get worse and so it is all our responsibilities, all of those who have an opportunity to act must do so. We encourage everyone who can to join us and to join the climate justice movement.”
The Swedish government, a centre-right coalition led by the Moderate Party and backed by the Sweden Democrats, has been heavily criticised in recent months for the way it plans to meet agreed climate targets with policies that are expected to significantly increase emissions.
