This is his second conviction in less than three months, for the same action. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was again fined on Wednesday October 11 by the Malmö court for “disobedience to public order”, due to a civil disobedience action carried out at the end of July in this town in southern Sweden.
The activist was sentenced to ninety day fines for a total of 5,500 Swedish crowns, or 476 euros, according to journalists on site cited by Agence France-Presse.
Action deemed “necessary” in the face of the climate emergency
The first acts for which the 20-year-old activist was tried on July 24 date back to June 19. That day, Greta Thunberg took part in an action alongside the organization Ta Tillbaka Framtiden (“Recover the Future”), at the port of Malmö, where entries and exits had been blocked by the immobilization of vehicles including tankers.
The activists were protesting against the use of fossil fuels and refused to obey police orders. She explained that she had acted “out of necessity” in the face of the climate emergency, before being ordered to pay a fine of 1,500 Swedish crowns (130 euros) and 1,000 Swedish crowns (86 euros) in compensation.
But, barely a few hours after her first conviction, the young activist again participated in an action to blockade the same port, before being arrested with five other activists by the police. It was for this action that she was convicted on Wednesday.
One Friday in August 2018, Greta Thunberg, 15 years old and completely unknown at the time, sat for the first time in front of the Swedish Parliament with a sign proclaiming: “School strike for climate”. In a few months, from Berlin to Sydney, from San Francisco to Johannesburg, young people had followed suit, giving birth to the Fridays for Future movement. Alongside climate protests, Greta Thunberg regularly attacks politicians and governments for their inaction on climate matters.
