“The verdict is a triumph for the right to demonstrate,” said a Greenpeace spokeswoman.
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Greta Thunberg was acquitted by a British judge for taking part in a sit-in protest against the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF) at the InterContinental Hotel in 2023. The Swedish activist was detained for several hours and was issued a summons along with others. four protesters.
Thunberg was detained under police powers granted by the new Public Order Act and has been criticized by civil rights groups for her draconian measures against the protesters. Judge John Laws ruled that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence against activists exercising their right to demonstrate in a “non-violent” manner.
Along with her, Greenpeace activists Jeff Rice and Pete Barker (who rappelled down the walls of the hotel on ropes and hung a banner reading “Earn Big Oil Wages”) and Fossil Free London members Christopher Kebbon and Joshua James Anwyn were acquitted. . 21 other activists arrested at the same protest are due in court in the coming weeks.
