Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is being prosecuted for “refusal to comply” after an action in mid-June in the port of Malmö, in southern Sweden, the Swedish prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday.
“The public prosecutor has brought charges against a young woman who, on June 19, took part in a climate demonstration (disrupting) traffic in Malmö. The young woman refused to obey police orders (asking her) to leave the site,” the statement read. Contacted by AFP, the prosecution confirmed that it was Greta Thunberg.
The port of Malmö blocked
In mid-June, 20-year-old Greta Thunberg took part in an action alongside the organization “Ta tillbaka framtiden” (“Demand the future”) at the port of Malmö, whose activists blocked the entrance and the out to protest against the use of fossil fuels by immobilizing oil tankers.
“We are choosing not to be bystanders, and (…) physically shutting down fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future,” Greta Thunberg said in an Instagram post at the time.
Likely fine
“Ta tillbaka framtiden” confirmed the charge. “After blocking activities that burn our future, we are now charged with criminal offenses. While charges are brought against us, the real crime continues inside the doors we have blocked,” the organization said in a statement.
The activist faces six months in prison, but prosecutor Charlotte Ottosen told the Swedish daily Sydsvenskan that this charge usually results in a fine. The case must be examined in the Malmö court at the end of July, according to the daily.
“Fridays for Future”
On a Friday in August 2018, Greta Thunberg, 15 at the time and completely unknown, sat for the first time in front of the Swedish Parliament with her sign “School strike for the climate”.
In a few months, from Berlin to Sydney, from San Francisco to Johannesburg, young people followed suit and the “Fridays for Future” movement was born. Beyond her climate strikes, the young activist regularly attacks politicians and governments for their inaction on climate issues.