Again Greta Thunberg, the Swedish activist, icon of the fight against climate change, was arrested by British police in London.
This time it happened during a protest by several hundred people against a closed-door meeting between administrators, managers of global oil companies, politicians and consultants.
The demonstration was organized by several environmental groups under the aegis of the environmental NGO Fossil Free London, in opposition to the Energy Intelligence Forum. This three-day forum was attended by the heads of giants such as TotalEnergies, Shell, Eni, Saudi Arabia's Aramco and Norway's Equinor.
The protest was aimed at blocking the “oil lords” from accessing the luxury hotel chosen as the venue for the event.
Greta, as usual, kept her calm and her serene smile even during the arrest, while she was dragged away by the police. This arrest took place after Scotland Yard dispersed the picket of protesters.
The young Swedish activist was also arrested and detained in her homeland during a similar demonstration against the hydrocarbon industry. This time, she wanted to be present in London to express her dissent against the forum, which she considers a meeting between “spineless politicians” and “lobbyists of the destructive fossil fuel industry”.
According to Greta and other environmentalists, the record profits recorded in 2022 by oil and gas companies were mainly reinvested in the fossil fuel sector rather than in green energy, thus violating the promises made.
The protest took place in the run-up to the new edition of the UN international climate conference, CoP28, which will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, under the presidency of Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, former president of the state-owned oil giant of the United Arab Emirates.
Article published on 17 October 2023 - 20:40
It is important that there are people like her who fight to protect the environment and our planet.