2 February 2024, 15:40 GMTUpdated 47 minutes agoImage source, NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockImage caption, Greta Thunberg arrived at court on Thursday smiling as she made her way past photographersGreta Thunberg and four co-defendants have been acquitted of a charge for refusing police orders during a climate protest. District Judge John Laws dismissed the public order charge citing “no evidence” and criticized the police for imposing “unlawful” conditions during the protest. The 21-year-old activist was arrested at a climate change demonstration near the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on 17 October.Defense”The civilised climate protest was peaceful, civilised, and non-violent,” said the judge. He pointed out that there was no evidence of any disruption to the hotel, interference with emergency services, or risk to life. He also criticized the lack of witness statements from the hotel or anyone trying to enter it.Case detailsThe court heard that the protesters were engaged by the police about improving access for the public, but the judge rejected the prosecution’s allegations that access was made “impossible.” The judge observed that the main entrance to the hotel was accessible when the defendants were arrested. Greta Thunberg, along with two Fossil Free London protesters and two Greenpeace activists, denied breaching section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 by allegedly blocking the entrance to the hotel. Oil executives were meeting inside for the Energy Intelligence Forum.
