UK police detain Greta Thunberg in City of London protest

Prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London on Tuesday, December 23, after joining a protest for supporting imprisoned pro-Palestinian activist on hunger strike.

The 22-year-old Swedish campaigner was detained for displaying a placard supporting the organisation.

Police arrested Thunberg on Frenchurch Street in the City of London financial district, where Thunberg was seen holding a placard reading, “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”

However, authorities argued that she was arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for “displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation.”

In this case, it was “Palestine Action” which was labelled as a terrorist group by the UK government earlier this year.

The group “Prisoners for Palestine” organized the demonstration outside the offices of Aspen insurance which allegedly provides services to Elbit Systems (which is an Israel-linked defense firm).

Before her arrest, Thunberg also issued a video statement describing the hunger-striking activists as “political prisoners” and called on the UK government to meet their demands for release and for charges to be dropped.

The hunger strike started on November 2 includes eight members of Palestine Action who are being held without bail while awaiting trial for alleged offenses related to earlier protests.

Among the activists, two have been on strike for 52 days and have been hospitalized with supporters warning they are at a “critical stage, where death is a real possibility.”