24-7-2023 (MALMO) Renowned Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg found herself in court on Monday (Jul 24) and was fined for defying police orders during a rally held last month. The 20-year-old activist appeared in the southern Swedish city of Malmo, where she faced charges of disrupting traffic and refusing to obey police directives to disperse, according to the charge sheet seen by AFP.
In response to the charges, Thunberg maintained that her actions were driven by necessity due to the pressing “climate crisis” confronting the world. “According to me we are in an emergency, and then due to that my action was legitimate,” she asserted to reporters after the trial.
Despite her plea, the court ruled that Thunberg was still liable for her actions and sentenced her to pay a fine of 1,500 kronor (US$144), in addition to contributing 1,000 kronor to the Swedish fund for crime victims. Although the charge could carry a maximum prison sentence of six months, it is customary for such cases to result in fines.
The rally, organized by the environmental activist group “Ta tillbaka framtiden” (Reclaim the Future), aimed to block the entrance and exit to Malmo’s harbour in protest against the use of fossil fuels.
Unfazed by the fine, Thunberg vowed that her resolve to combat climate change and advocate for urgent action remains unwavering. “We know that we cannot save the world by playing by the rules because the laws have to be changed,” she affirmed.
The young activist achieved global prominence after initiating the “School Strike for the Climate” outside Sweden’s parliament in Stockholm at the age of 15. Co-founding the influential Fridays for Future movement with a group of dedicated youths, Thunberg became a symbol of the worldwide climate movement.
Reclaim the Future, undeterred by legal pressure, stands firm in its determination to confront the fossil fuels industry and fight for environmental justice. “If the court chooses to see our action as a crime it may do so, but we know we have the right to live and the fossil fuels industry stands in the way of that,” said Irma Kjellstrom, a spokesperson for the group.
Despite the legal consequences, the group remains resolute in its commitment to civil disobedience to address the urgent climate crisis and advocate for a sustainable future.
