STOCKHOLM. Renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg has been fined by authorities in her home country of Sweden for defying police orders by obstructing the entrance to parliament on two occasions in March, according to the Stockholm District Court.
Thunberg, along with four other campaigners, stood trial following sit-down protests on March 12 and 13, where they were forcibly removed by police. The protests aimed to draw attention to the urgent need for action on climate change and to highlight perceived political inaction.
The court imposed a fine of 6,000 Swedish crowns ($550) on Thunberg, as reported by news agency TT. While a court official confirmed Thunberg’s guilty verdict, they refrained from commenting on the specific amount of the penalty.
At just 21 years old, Thunberg rose to prominence as the face of the youth climate movement after initiating weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament in 2018. Her activism quickly garnered global attention, inspiring millions of young people worldwide to join in rallies demanding climate action.
Stockholm police clarified that while activists have the right to demonstrate outside the national assembly, Thunberg and her fellow protestors were removed for impeding entrances.
This isn’t the first time Thunberg has faced legal consequences for her activism. Last year, she was found guilty twice in Sweden of disobeying police orders, resulting in fines. However, in a separate incident in February, she was acquitted of a public order offence in Britain, as a judge ruled that police lacked the authority to arrest her during a protest in London.
Despite legal challenges, Thunberg remains undeterred in her mission to combat climate change and continues to inspire global action through her advocacy.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
