By Samantha Jones-
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg(pictured) has pleaded not guilty to charges of breaching the Public Order Act after participating in a protest outside a hotel hosting the Energy Intelligence Forum, dubbed the “Oscars of oil.”
The 20-year-old campaigner, known for her global advocacy on climate issues, blocked the entrance to the venue last month, chanting, “Oily money out!” Thunberg faces charges under section 14 of the Public Order Act, carrying a maximum £2,500 fine.
Thunberg and fellow protesters, supported by Greenpeace campaigners, gathered outside Westminster Magistrates Court in central London on Wednesday, where she entered her plea.
The charges stem from an incident during the protest, organized by Fossil Free London and backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion, where Thunberg and others obstructed access to the InterContinental London Park Lane in Mayfair.
During the demonstration, Thunberg and dozens of activists locked arms to prevent delegates from entering the hotel. The protest aimed to send a message to oil industry leaders attending the conference, asserting that “big oil must pay for the damage they are causing to our planet and those who inhabit it,” according to Maja Darlington, a campaigner at Greenpeace UK.
Thunberg’s arrest during the protest is part of a pattern, with the young activist having been arrested or removed from demonstrations in Sweden, Norway, and Germany. The protest also claimed credit for Shell chief executive Wael Sawan delivering a keynote speech to the conference via video link rather than in person.
Some critics argue that Thunberg’s case highlights an increasing crackdown on climate protesters by the UK government and police. The Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act 2022 granted authorities more powers to criminalize activism, allowing police to ban non-violent protests deemed too noisy or disruptive.
Penalties for obstructing the highway, a key tactic of environmental protest groups, have been elevated to potentially unlimited fines and six-month prison sentences.
Maja Darlington of Greenpeace UK commented on the arrests, stating, “Instead of arresting those standing up to the fossil fuel industry, the UK government should make polluters pay for the millions losing lives and livelihoods for the profit margins of the fossil fuel industry.”