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Climate activist Greta Thunberg pleads not guilty following arrest at London protest

The activist was detained by police after she & other demonstrators locked arms to obstruct entrances to a hotel where an oil & gas conference was taking place.

Published on: Nov 15, 2023, 17:51:58 IST
Reuters
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Climate activist Greta Thunberg pleaded not guilty to a public order offence charge in a British court on Wednesday, following her arrest last month at an environmental protest in London.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg (Bloomberg)
Climate activist Greta Thunberg (Bloomberg)

The 20-year-old was detained by police on Oct. 17 after she and dozens of demonstrators locked arms to obstruct the entrances to a hotel where an oil and gas conference was taking place.

Watch: Greta Thunberg interrupted after she invites a Palestinian on stage

Thunberg, wearing a grey T-shirt and black jeans, spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth as the judge at London's Westminster Magistrates Court set Feb. 1 as the date for Thunberg's trial.

She has been charged with a public order offence for failing to comply with conditions that police said had been imposed to prevent "serious disruption to the community, hotel and guests."

Thunberg has become famous as the face of climate activism since she started staging weekly protests in Sweden in 2018, and she now travels around the world addressing crowds at marches and protests.

She was charged by London police on Oct. 18 and released on bail. If found guilty she could face a fine of up to a maximum of 2,500 pounds ($3,069).

Before her arrest in Britain, she has this year been detained by police or removed from protests in Sweden, Norway and Germany.

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