---
title: "Greta Thunberg arrives at London court for oil protest trial"
description: "LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at a London court on Thursday to face trial on a public order offence over a protest outside an oil and gas conference last year."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Climate activism"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-01-greta-thunberg-arrives-at-london-court-for-oil-protest-trial/"
published: "2024-02-01T13:00:43"
updated: "2024-02-01T12:54:42"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 172
---

# Greta Thunberg arrives at London court for oil protest trial

> LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at a London court on Thursday to face trial on a public order offence over a protest outside an oil and gas conference last year.

By Reuters · Published 1 February 2024, 15:00 SAST · Updated 1 February 2024, 14:54 SAST

## Content

Thunberg, who became a prominent campaigner worldwide after staging weekly protests in front of the Swedish parliament in 2018, was arrested in October after protesting outside a London hotel where the Energy Intelligence Forum was hosting industry leaders.

The 21-year-old is one of five people listed to stand trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. All five, aged between 19 and 59, have pleaded not guilty to a single offence under the Public Order Act for allegedly failing to move when asked to by police.

A smiling Thunberg made her way through photographers and police officers to chants of "climate protest is not a crime" by environmental activists who were stood outside the court.

The trial will be conducted by a judge without a jury and is expected to take at least two days. If convicted, they would face a maximum fine of 2,500 pounds.

Environmental protesters, including from Greenpeace, had said they would demonstrate outside the court in solidarity with the defendants.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Kate Holton)