Greta Thunberg fined for disobeying police during protest against fossil fuels

A 20-year-old activist near a court in Malmö, Sweden. Photo: Pavel Golovkin. climate crisis.

A 20-year-old Swedish climate activist appeared in court in the southern Swedish city of Malmö on Monday morning without answering questions from reporters.

The activist “took part in a demonstration that disrupted traffic” and “refused to obey the police order to leave the place”, according to the indictment.

“It is right that I was in that place that day, and it is right that I received an order that I did not listen, but I want to deny the crime,” Thunberg told the court when asked about the charge against her.

Thunberg said she acted out of necessity, citing the need caused by the “climate crisis.”

After a brief trial, the court nevertheless found that she was still responsible for her actions and ordered her to pay a fine of 1,500 kr (£112) plus another 1,000 kr to the Swedish Crime Victims Fund.

Climate activist walks out of hearing after being fined £112. Photo: Pavel Golovkin

A rally organized by the environmental activist group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden (Bring Back the Future) tried to block the entrance and exit to Malmö harbor in protest against the use of fossil fuels.

“We have decided not to be bystanders, but instead to physically shut down fossil fuel infrastructure. We are rebuilding the future,” Thunberg wrote in an Instagram post.

Thunberg rose to worldwide fame after starting a school climate strike in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm at the age of 15.

Together with a small group of young people, she founded the Fridays for Future movement, which quickly became a global phenomenon.

In addition to her climate strikes, the young activist regularly criticizes governments and politicians for not adequately addressing climate issues.

Thunberg was taken away by police during a protest in Malmö last month. Photo: Johan NILSSON.

Reclaim the Future insists that, despite legal pressure, it remains steadfast in its determination to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.

“If the court decides to treat our actions as a crime, it may do so, but we know that we have a right to life, and the fossil fuel industry stands in the way of this,” said group spokeswoman Irma Kjellström.

Six members of the organization will stand trial in Mal meh, she said.

“We young people are not going to wait, but we will do our best to stop this industry that is burning our lives,” she said, explaining the group's plans to continue civil disobedience.