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Greta Thunberg arrested, charged with disobeying Swedish police

Greta Thunberg was arrested last month and charged by Swedish authorities Wednesday in connection to a protest last month.
Greta Thunberg arrested, charged with disobeying Swedish police
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Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been charged with disobeying Swedish law enforcement at a climate protest.

The 20-year-old and other activists were arrested after stopping traffic at a protest in Malmo on June 19, local newspaper Sydsvenskan said. While there she tweeted, saying the group blocked oil tankers at the port for the third day in a row.

"The climate crisis is a matter of life and death for countless people," she continued in the tweet. "We choose to physically stop fossil fuel infrastructure. We are reclaiming the future."

On Wednesday, Swedish prosecutors said a "young woman" was charged with disobedience because she "refused to comply with police orders to leave the scene."  Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Annika Collin confirmed the woman was Thunberg.

According to Sydsvenskan, the climate activist now faces trial at the end of the month for the crime. The charges could lead to up to six months in jail, but the prosecutor said they're typically punishable by fine.

Thunberg has become the face of the youth movement demanding climate action since her first strike at age 15, when she sat in front of Swedish parliament every weekday for three weeks to protest its lack of work on the climate crisis.

SEE MORE: Greta Thunberg carried away by police at German mine protest


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