Greta Thunberg was arrested again this Tuesday in London (United Kingdom), this time for holding up a banner supporting the activists of Palestinian Action, an organization banned last summer as a terrorist group by the British government. The arrest took place during a demonstration in front of the offices of the Aspen Insurance insurance company in the British capital, at which the 22-year-old Swedish activist was present with a sign saying: “I support the prisoners of Palestine Action. I oppose genocide”, in reference to the members of the organization in temporary prison, some of whom have been on hunger strike since November 2.
As can be seen in a video broadcast by the Prisoners for Palestine platform, Greta Thunberg, dressed in a black down jacket and a wool hat, was sitting on the ground with the banner before several officers from the City of London Police approached her (one of the most exclusive areas of London, which has its own police force). The footage shows one of them telling the young woman: “I’m going to take this away from you,” while removing the handwritten sign on the back of a Palestinian flag.
A spokesperson for the City of London Police said Thunberg’s arrest came shortly after that of a man and a woman for suspected criminal damage, after part of the wall of the insurance company building was sprayed with red paint. The activists used fire extinguishers as well as hammers, then used an adhesive substance to stick their bodies to the installations located on Fenchurch Street, one of London’s financial arteries. Specialized agents were needed to free them and then place them in police custody.
According to protest promoters, Aspen was chosen to provide services to the defense company Elbit System, linked to Israel and the subject of Palestinian Action protest actions in the past. Thunberg’s arrest, however, was in response to the banner of support for an “outlaw organization.” Palestine Action’s declaration as a terrorist group marked the first time a protest platform had been deemed a terrorist organization in the UK and was due, according to the UK Home Office, to “aggressive and intimidating attacks” on businesses, including property damage, as well as intelligence that would foreshadow future attacks. Belonging to or supporting Palestinian Action is a crime under the 2000 anti-terrorism law, a highly controversial decision that has sparked strong criticism of the government.
Greta Thunberg’s presence on Tuesday responded to the chain of coordinated actions aimed at supporting the hunger strikers during their pre-trial detention. At least three of them have had to drop out due to deteriorating health, but others continue. Among their demands are the cancellation of contracts with arms factories that supply equipment to Israel, the decriminalization of Palestine Action, an end to what they denounce as mistreatment of prisoners in detention and their immediate release.
The British government is facing growing pressure to intervene, particularly after many politicians who visited those in prison raised the alarm over the possible risk of death from the hunger strike. The Labor executive, however, refuses to intervene in ongoing court cases and has insisted, through the Secretary of State for Prisons, that the decision is for judges and that “intervention would be completely unconstitutional and inappropriate for the government”.
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