Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, 22, was taken into custody by London authorities on Tuesday during a demonstration supporting Palestinian causes. The arrest occurred as Thunberg participated in a solidarity action with hunger-striking activists detained on protest-related charges.
Video evidence disseminated by the protest collective Prisoners for Palestine captured Thunberg holding signage endorsing both the fasting detainees and Palestine Action—an organization proscribed by UK authorities as terrorist earlier this year. The demonstration formed part of broader activism that included two individuals spraying red paint outside a City of London insurance firm. Protest organizers stated this company was targeted due to its commercial connections with Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense contractor.
Metropolitan Police confirmed three arrests: one male and one female detained on suspicion of criminal damage, plus an additional woman (identified as Thunberg) apprehended for allegedly supporting a banned organization. Standard British policing protocol prevents naming suspects before formal charges are filed.
Eight members of Palestine Action have initiated hunger strikes to contest their remand without bail while awaiting trial for various protest offenses. According to Prisoners for Palestine, two pioneering hunger strikers have now refused nourishment for 52 days and face potentially fatal health deterioration. UK governmental authorities maintain that judicial decisions regarding detention and bail fall exclusively within court jurisdiction, declining to intervene in ongoing legal proceedings.