A London judge dismissed charges against climate activist Greta Thunberg from her arrest at a protest outside an oil and gas conference in London last year. The court found that the police lacked the authority to detain her during the demonstration.
Thunberg, globally recognized for initiating weekly demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, received acquittal amid applause at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The 21-year-old and four others faced arrest on October 17 at the Energy Intelligence Forum venue, attended by oil and gas industry executives.
Charged under the Public Order Act for not relocating their protest as directed by police, all five defendants were ultimately found not culpable by Judge John Law. He determined the police’s conditions on the protest were unlawfully imposed, rendering the charges against Thunberg invalid.
Law criticized the police for potential overreach and lack of clarity in their instructions, noting Thunberg was not afforded a reasonable time to comply with the relocation directive.
Following the verdict, Thunberg and her co-defendants shared a moment of relief and unity. This decision casts uncertainty on similar charges against other protesters from the October 17 event. Prosecutors, facing the potential for appeal at the High Court, may postpone upcoming trials related to the demonstration.
