Climate activist Greta Thunberg detained in London during protest against oil companies

Greta Thunberg, an activist against climate change, is said to have been held by police in London on Tuesday after speaking to demonstrators at an anti-oil and gas protest in the city’s central area. After organising weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018, Thunberg rose to prominence as the face of young climate activists throughout the world. This year, police have detained or removed Thunberg from protests in Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Video shows Thunberg standing quietly as two police officers spoke to her while she was sporting a badge with the motto “Oily Money Out.” One could be seen grabbing her arm. London’s Metropolitan Police did not immediately issue a statement. Greenpeace, an environmental organisation, said that two of its activists ascended the Intercontinental Hotel in Mayfair and unfurled a huge banner that read “Make Big Oil Pay” above the building’s entrance in protest at a meeting of oil and gas executives that was taking place within the building, including Shell CEO Wael Sawan. According to the organisation, hundreds of protesters had assembled in front of the venue to voice their opposition to the fossil fuel industry’s influence on UK and international climate politics, obstructing entrances and keeping delegates outside. (With agency inputs)