CLIMATE campaigner Greta Thunberg and four other activists were acquitted of public order offences at Westminster Magistrates Court today.
Ms Thunberg was arrested during a protest outside the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on October 17, while oil executives were meeting inside at the Energy Intelligence Forum.
Alongside two Fossil Free London protesters and two Greenpeace activists, she pleaded not guilty to breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act.
Judge John Law said the conditions imposed on the protesters were “so unclear that it is unlawful” and therefore “anyone failing to comply were actually committing no offence.”
Greenpeace campaigner Maja Darlington called the verdict a “victory for the right to protest.”
“It is ridiculous that more and more climate activists are finding themselves in court for peacefully exercising their right to protest, while fossil fuel giants like Shell are allowed to reap billions in profits from selling climate-wrecking fossil fuels.”
“The prosecution of Greta and other peaceful protesters reflects a government that cares more about bolstering the profits of oil bosses than fighting for a liveable future for all of us.”
Fossil Free London organiser Joanna Warrington said: “Despite the acquittal, justice has not been served because the wrong people are in the dock.
“And whilst Judge Law recognised this, we are outraged that our increasingly draconian ‘justice system’ and government chooses to punish more and more of those fighting against climate breakdown by dragging them through the court system when it’s clear who the real criminals are.”
The evening before the trial concluded, Ms Thunberg joined climate activists staging a protest at the Science Museum in opposition to its fossil fuel sponsorships.
The protesters infiltrated a panel on scientific predictions for 2024 and called out the museum for accepting sponsorships with Adani, BP and Equinor.
One activist unfurled a banner reading: “2024 – More droughts, floods, and deaths fuelled by Science Museum oil and coal sponsors.”
Dr Kush Naker, who took part in the action, said: “As a doctor, it is my responsibility to warn people when their health is being threatened.
“The sponsors of the science museum are the greatest threat to the health of my patients.
“They are polluting the air we need to breathe, driving famines, droughts, and the spread of deadly infectious diseases. Accepting money from these companies is totally unacceptable.”
