Greta Thunberg Arrested During Hague Protest Calling For Action

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among a group of protesters arrested in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday. Thunberg and over 100 other demonstrators blocked an entrance to a building where European Union ministers were holding meetings. The activists sat down in front of the building, refusing to leave when police instructed them to vacate the area. Thunberg has risen to prominence leading the school strike movement demanding bold climate action from leaders.

The protesters were calling on EU leaders to take urgent climate action in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As outlined in the Paris Agreement. They carried banners with messages such as “The house is on fire” and “You’ll die of old age, we’ll die of climate change.” After over an hour of refusing orders to disperse, police moved in and detained over 100 activists. Including the 19-year-old Greta Thunberg. All were held for a short period before being released.

The Demands That Led To Arrests

This is not the first time Greta Thunberg has participated in civil disobedience for the climate. In 2019, she led a weekly school strike outside Sweden’s parliament building. Calling on the country to take more ambitious climate action. Since then, she has addressed the United Nations and rallied millions of youth around the world to demand their futures. Not be traded for fossil fuels and inaction. Thunberg maintains non-violent protest is necessary to spur the transformation needed.

The arrests come as climate scientists warn global emissions must peak this decade and be cut in half by 2030 to stand a chance of limiting warming to 1.5C. Greta Thunberg and other activists will likely continue pushing for policies that align with the rapid transition off fossil fuels that science says is needed. How governments respond to these demands could determine whether dangerous levels of warming can be avoided down the line.