By Johan Ahlander and Tom Little
MALMO (Reuters) -Climate activist Greta Thunberg was forcibly removed by police from a protest in the southern Swedish city of Malmo on Monday just hours after a local court fined her for disobeying a police order during a similar protest last month.
Thunberg, 20, who became the face of young climate activists worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament, admitted during the court proceedings that she had disobeyed the police order but pleaded not guilty and said that she was acting out of necessity.
“It is absurd that those who act in line with science should pay the price for it,” she told reporters in the Malmo district court.
Thunberg and other activists from the group Reclaim the Future blocked the road for oil trucks in Malmo harbour on June 19. She was charged for failing to leave when ordered to do so by police.
After Monday’s sentencing Thunberg and other activists headed back to Malmo harbour only to be carried away by police again for blocking traffic.
Thunberg had earlier told the court that her actions were justifiable. “I believe that we are in an emergency that threatens life, health and property. Countless people and communities are at risk both in the short term and in the long term,” she said.
The court ordered Thunberg to pay 1,500 Swedish crowns ($144) and an additional 1,000 crowns to Sweden’s fund for crime victims. The fine was applied in proportion to her reported income. Failure to obey a police order carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
($1 = 10.4088 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Tom Little; Editing by Simon Johnson, Tomasz Janowski and Susan Fenton)
