To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was arrested by police during a June 19, 2023 protest in the port city of Malmö.
"The climate crisis is already a matter of life and death for countless people. We choose to not be bystanders, and instead physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future."
A spokesperson for Greta Thunberg said Wednesday that the 20-year-old Swedish climate campaigner is one of at least two activists being charged with disobeying police orders to disperse during a protest in the southern city of Malmö last month.
Thunberg—who founded the School Strike for Climate movement when she was 15 years old—was arrested on June 19 while taking part in a multiday protest organized by Swedish climate group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden, or Reclaiming the Future. During the demonstration, activists tried to block the entrance to Malmö harbor, home of a major oil terminal.
"The climate crisis is a matter of life and death for countless people," Thunberg tweeted at the time. "We choose to physically stop fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future."
Responding to the charges against Thunberg, Ta Tillbaka Framtiden said that "after blocking the activities that are burning our future, we are now being charged with criminal offenses."
"While charges are being brought against us, the real crime is going on inside the doors we have blocked," the group told Agence France-Presse.
If found guilty, the activists could face up to six months in prison, although prosecutor Charlotte Ottesen said a fine was much likelier.
The Swedish paper Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällpostenreports at least one other demonstrator from the June harbor protest is being prosecuted.
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
A spokesperson for Greta Thunberg said Wednesday that the 20-year-old Swedish climate campaigner is one of at least two activists being charged with disobeying police orders to disperse during a protest in the southern city of Malmö last month.
Thunberg—who founded the School Strike for Climate movement when she was 15 years old—was arrested on June 19 while taking part in a multiday protest organized by Swedish climate group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden, or Reclaiming the Future. During the demonstration, activists tried to block the entrance to Malmö harbor, home of a major oil terminal.
"The climate crisis is a matter of life and death for countless people," Thunberg tweeted at the time. "We choose to physically stop fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future."
Responding to the charges against Thunberg, Ta Tillbaka Framtiden said that "after blocking the activities that are burning our future, we are now being charged with criminal offenses."
"While charges are being brought against us, the real crime is going on inside the doors we have blocked," the group told Agence France-Presse.
If found guilty, the activists could face up to six months in prison, although prosecutor Charlotte Ottesen said a fine was much likelier.
The Swedish paper Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällpostenreports at least one other demonstrator from the June harbor protest is being prosecuted.
A spokesperson for Greta Thunberg said Wednesday that the 20-year-old Swedish climate campaigner is one of at least two activists being charged with disobeying police orders to disperse during a protest in the southern city of Malmö last month.
Thunberg—who founded the School Strike for Climate movement when she was 15 years old—was arrested on June 19 while taking part in a multiday protest organized by Swedish climate group Ta Tillbaka Framtiden, or Reclaiming the Future. During the demonstration, activists tried to block the entrance to Malmö harbor, home of a major oil terminal.
"The climate crisis is a matter of life and death for countless people," Thunberg tweeted at the time. "We choose to physically stop fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future."
Responding to the charges against Thunberg, Ta Tillbaka Framtiden said that "after blocking the activities that are burning our future, we are now being charged with criminal offenses."
"While charges are being brought against us, the real crime is going on inside the doors we have blocked," the group told Agence France-Presse.
If found guilty, the activists could face up to six months in prison, although prosecutor Charlotte Ottesen said a fine was much likelier.
The Swedish paper Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snällpostenreports at least one other demonstrator from the June harbor protest is being prosecuted.
