Climate activist Greta Thunberg was acquitted of a public order offense on Friday as a judge determined that the police lacked the authority to arrest her and four others during a protest in London last year. The trial involved the arrest of Thunberg and the defendants on October 17 outside a hotel hosting the Energy Intelligence Forum for oil and gas industry leaders.
All five individuals were accused of disobeying a police order under the Public Order Act to relocate their protest to a designated area near the conference. The Westminster Magistrates’ Court acquitted them, casting doubt on other prosecutions related to the same charge from the October 17 demonstration.
Judge John Law declared that London’s Metropolitan Police unlawfully imposed conditions on the protest, rendering Thunberg’s case baseless. He criticized the unclear conditions and noted that the police could have enforced milder restrictions. Additionally, Law stated that Thunberg was not given a reasonable time to comply after being instructed to move.
Outside the court, Raj Chada, the lawyer representing Thunberg and two others, urged the government to cease prosecuting peaceful protesters and focus on addressing the climate crisis. Thunberg, a global climate campaigner since her 2018 weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, made no comment as she left the court.
The Metropolitan Police, while respecting the right to protest, emphasized the challenges of managing repeated disruptions caused by campaigners. They stated their intention to review the decision carefully. Prosecutors may appeal the ruling at the High Court, and the Crown Prosecution Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
