By Ilze Filks
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Greta Thunberg and dozens of other environmental campaigners blocked the main entrances to Sweden’s parliament on Monday in a sit-down protest against the effects of climate change and what they said was political inaction.
“We are a group of young people who are blocking entrances to the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, to protest against the ongoing destruction of our life-supporting systems and of people already being killed as a result of the climate crisis,” Thunberg said.
“That needs to come to an end. We have had enough,” she told Reuters in an interview, accusing politicians of inaction in the face of global warming.
Thunberg became the face of young climate activists as her weekly protests, starting in 2018, in front of the Swedish parliament quickly grew into a global youth movement with large rallies across continents.
However, her protests in Stockholm have not normally sought to block the entrances to parliament. Some entrances to the building, however, remained open on Monday.
“(The politicians) have not been acting. We are still moving in the wrong direction, the emissions are still increasing,” she said. “Therefore we feel like we have no other choice but to try new, different methods in order to get our voices heard.”
“We are staying here for now,” she added.
Last year Thunberg was detained by police or removed from protests in several countries, including Sweden, Norway and Germany.
A British court last month acquitted her of charges of a public order offence as a judge ruled that police had no power to arrest her and others at a protest in London last year.
“The climate crisis is only going to get worse and so it is all our responsibilities, all of those who have an opportunity to act must do so. We encourage everyone who can to join us and to join the climate justice movement,” Thunberg said on Monday.
(Reporting by Ilze Filks, writing by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje Solsvik and Gareth Jones)
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