A British court acquitted climate activist Greta Thunberg on Friday of public order offenses, ruling that police lacked the authority to arrest her during a protest outside an oil and gas conference in London last year. Thunberg, who rose to global prominence after organizing weekly protests outside the Swedish parliament in 2018, received the verdict from Westminster Magistrates' Court amid applause and cheers from her supporters in the courtroom.
The 21-year-old, along with four others, was among dozens arrested on October 17 outside a London hotel hosting energy industry leaders at an information forum. The five were all charged with failing to comply with a police order to move their protest to a designated area near the conference, a crime under public order laws. However, Judge John Law determined that the police acted unlawfully when imposing conditions on the protest. He noted that the police could have enforced fewer restrictions and highlighted that the conditions imposed were not clear. Additionally, he stated that Thunberg "was not given a reasonable time to comply" after being asked to move by the police.
