Climate activist Greta Thunberg was fined 2,500 kronor (about $250) by a Swedish court Monday for disobeying police and refusing an order to disperse after blocking road access to an oil facility. Soon after the verdict, she and activists from Reclaim the Future returned to protest at the oil terminal, where she and five others were carried away by police officers. “Why is it us — who are taking action in line with the science to stop the fossil industry — who face legal consequences, when the fossil industry continues to destroy the chance for people to live safe and worthy lives?” Greta said to reporters outside the court.
Within the United States too, there has been an alarming crackdown on climate protests, most notably the killing of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán for protesting “Cop City” in Atlanta. Nineteen other protestors were also charged under the state domestic terrorism statute. Protestors, including senior citizens, across the US have also been arrested for raising awareness, protesting private jet use, and asking banks to end fossil fuel investment. In recent years, a total of 20 states have enacted laws restricting rights to peaceful protest. (CBS News, Associated Press, New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters, BBC, Politico)
