World News | Greta Thunberg Defiant After Swedish Court Fines Her for Disobeying Police During Climate Protest

Malmo (Sweden), Jul 24 (AP) A Swedish court on Monday fined climate activist Greta Thunberg for disobeying police during an environmental protest at an oil facility last month.

Thunberg, 20, admitted to the facts but denied guilt, saying the fight against the fossil fuel industry was a form of self-defence due to the existential and global threat of the climate crisis.

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“We cannot save the world by playing by the rules,” she told journalists after hearing the verdict, vowing she would “definitely not” back down.

The court rejected her argument and fined her 2,500 kronor (about USD 240).

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Charges were brought against Thunberg and several other youth activists from the Reclaim the Future movement for refusing a police order to disperse after blocking road access to an oil terminal in the southern Swedish city of Malmö on June 19.

“If the court sees our actions of self-defence as a crime, that's how it is,” said Irma Kjellström, a spokesperson for Reclaim the Future who was also present at the June protest. She added that activists “have to be exactly where the harm is being done.”

The sentencing appeared to have little effect on the youths' determination — just a few hours later, Thunberg and Reclaim the Future activists returned to the oil terminal to stage to another roadblock. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)