Authorities detained Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in London on Tuesday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, UK-based campaign organization Defend Our Juries announced, according to Reuters.
The climate campaigner was arrested under terrorism legislation for displaying a placard indicating her support for prisoners connected to Palestine Action, an organization the British government has designated as a terrorist group, Defend Our Juries stated.
A City of London police spokesperson confirmed two individuals were taken into custody for hurling red paint at a building. "A little while later, a 22-year-old woman also attended the scene," the police spokesperson stated. "She has been arrested for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000."
The campaign group explained it selected the building as a target because an insurance company operating from the location allegedly provides services to the British division of Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.
Palestine Action is an anti-Israel organization established in 2020 that was designated as a terrorist group by Britain in July after its operatives breached the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, spray-painted two refueling aircraft, and struck them with iron bars.
In another action in August 2024, the organization's operatives broke into an Elbit Systems facility in the Bristol area and caused over 1 million pounds in damage. Since the ban, hundreds of protesters have been arrested at demonstrations supporting the organization – in a single day in September, approximately 400 demonstrators were arrested outside Parliament.
Eight operatives from the organization were arrested in these two incidents and have been on hunger strike for about a month and a half. Some were arrested during the events themselves, while others were arrested in a wave of police arrests on November 19.
Thunberg was previously arrested in Israel after participating in two flotillas that attempted to reach Gaza to "break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip," according to flotilla participants. Among the flotilla members was French European Parliament member Rima Hassan, who described the October 7 massacre as "legitimate."
Following her last release, Thunberg claimed in Swedish media that she experienced abuse in Israeli prison, including beatings; however, email correspondence published by SVT showed that Greta and her flotilla companions never claimed to have experienced physical violence.
