Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, was arrested in London on Tuesday after taking part in a protest outside the offices of Aspen Insurance. The 22-year-old held a placard reading “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide,” leading to her arrest under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation.
Two other activists had earlier used repurposed fire extinguishers to cover the front of the building with red paint before locking themselves to it. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. The protest was organised by Prisoners for Palestine, which said Aspen was targeted because it provided services to Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
The action was held in solidarity with eight hunger strikers associated with Palestine Action, who have been awaiting trial. Two of the strikers are now on their 52nd day without food, with campaigners warning that their health is at a critical stage. The strikers are demanding immediate bail, an end to the ban on Palestine Action, and the lifting of restrictions on their communications.
A City of London police spokesperson confirmed that a man and a woman were arrested for criminal damage, and later that a 22-year-old woman was arrested for the placard. Thunberg was released on bail until March. In a statement, she said: “It is up to the state to intervene and put an end to this by meeting these reasonable demands... something the British state has failed to do themselves.”
Families of the hunger strikers have urged Justice Secretary David Lammy to meet them, and lawyers sent a legal letter claiming he had failed to comply with Ministry of Justice policy on hunger strikes. Thousands have been arrested at similar protests over the past year, but campaigners questioned why Thunberg’s specific wording led to counter-terrorism charges.
