© Reuters. Climate activist Greta Thunberg stands in Malmö District Court, in Malmö, Sweden July 24, 2023. TT News Agency/Andreas Hellergren/via Reuters
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Written by Johan Ahlander and Tom Little
MALMO (Reuters) – Climate activist Greta Thunberg helped organize a protest in the southern Swedish city of Malmö on Monday, hours after she was fined by a local court for disobeying a police order during a similar protest more than a month earlier.
Thunberg, 20, who became the face of young climate activists around the world after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish Parliament, admitted during the proceedings that she disobeyed a police order but pleaded not guilty and said she was acting out of necessity.
“It is absurd that those who act in line with science should pay the price for this,” she told reporters at the Malmö District Court.
Thunberg and other activists from the group Reclaim the Future blocked oil trucks in the port of Malmö on 19 June. She was charged with failing to leave when ordered to do so by the police. After the verdict was handed down, Thunberg and other activists returned to Malmö’s port to once again block traffic.
Thunberg told the court earlier that her actions were justified. “I believe we are in an emergency situation that threatens life, health and property. Countless people and communities are at risk in the short and long term,” she said.
The court ordered Thunberg to pay 1,500 SEK ($144) and an additional 1,000 SEK to the Crime Victims Fund. The fine was applied in proportion to the declared income. Failure to contravene a police order carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment.
($1 = 10.4088 SEK)
