Greta Thunberg forcibly removed from climate protest after being fined | Climate crisis news

Police hauled away a climate activist for blocking traffic during a protest near the port in Malmö, Sweden.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been forcibly removed from a protest in the southern Swedish city of Malmö by police, hours after a local court fined her for disobeying a police order during a similar protest last month.

Thunberg, 20, who has become the face of young climate activists around the world after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, admitted during court proceedings Monday that she had disobeyed a police order but pleaded not guilty and said she was acting out of necessity.

Asked by reporters if she would exercise more caution in the future after the fine, Thunberg said climate protesters “certainly won’t back down”.

“We know we can’t save the world by playing by the rules because the laws have to be changed,” said the activist.

“It is absurd that those who act in line with science should pay the price for this,” she told reporters at the Malmö District Court.

Thunberg and other activists from the group Reclaim the Future blocked oil trucks in the port of Malmö on 19 June. She was charged with failing to leave when ordered to do so by the police.

After Monday’s ruling, Thunberg and other activists returned to Malmö’s port only to be taken away by police again blocking traffic.

Thunberg had earlier told the court that her actions were justified. “I think we are in an emergency situation that threatens life, health and property,” she said. Countless people and communities are at risk, both in the short term and in the long term.

The court ordered Thunberg to pay a fine of 1,500 kronor ($144) and an additional 1,000 kronor to Sweden’s fund for victims of crime.

The fine was applied in proportion to the declared income. Failure to comply with a police order carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment.