Greta Thunberg charged with disobeying Swedish police during climate protest

Climate activist is set to appear in court in late July

Police officers talk to the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at the protest in June (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with disobeying a police order to leave a climate protest in the southern city of Malmo last month, according to local media.

On the day of the incident, Thunberg wrote in an Instagram post that protesters had blocked the road for oil trucks in Malmo harbour."

The climate crisis is already a matter of life and death for countless people. We chose to not be bystanders, and instead physically stop the fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future," she had said.

If convicted for disobeying a police order, Thunberg can be handed a fine or up to six months in prison.

"You have the freedom to demonstrate, but you must not demonstrate in such a way that it causes disturbances for others," prosecutor Charlotte Ottosen said, according to Sydsvenskan.

A short statement by Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday said a “young woman” was charged with disobedience because she "refused to comply with police orders to leave the scene” during the protest. The statement didn't identify the woman, but Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Annika Collin confirmed that it was Thunberg.

Thunberg, who is reportedly planning to defend herself at the district court appearance on 24 July, would not be available for comment in the meantime, a spokesperson told Swedish media.

Thunberg inspired a global youth movement demanding stronger efforts to fight climate change after staging weekly protests outside the Swedish Parliament starting in 2018.