British police have arrested Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and two others during a pro-Palestine demonstration in central London, campaign group Defend Our Juries said.
According to the group, Thunberg was detained on Tuesday at a “Prisoners for Palestine” protest in London’s Square Mile financial district, outside the offices of Aspen Insurance, which provides insurance cover to Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems. Defend Our Juries said Thunberg arrived after the protest had begun and shared video footage of her holding a placard reading: “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”
Thunberg has repeatedly described Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide and has previously taken part in flotilla campaigns seeking to challenge Israel’s blockade of the territory.
The City of London Police, which oversees policing in the financial district, confirmed that a 22-year-old woman matching Thunberg’s description was arrested for displaying a placard “in support of a proscribed organisation (Palestine Action), contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.
The protest was held in solidarity with activists linked to Palestine Action, five of whom are currently on hunger strike in British prisons. The UK government has formally proscribed the group as a terrorist organisation.
Police said two other protesters—a man and a woman—were also arrested after allegedly gluing themselves near the site. Officers reported damage caused with “hammers and red paint” to a building on Fenchurch Street housing Aspen Insurance’s offices. Defend Our Juries acknowledged the damage, saying two activists sprayed the front of the building with symbolic blood-red paint using re-purposed fire extinguishers before attaching themselves to the premises to disrupt business operations and draw attention to Aspen’s alleged role in supporting Israel’s arms industry.
The campaign group said Aspen was targeted because of its links to Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, whose drones it describes as forming the “backbone” of the Israeli military.
Palestine Action has previously targeted Elbit-linked facilities in the UK, including a site in Bristol last year. Among their demands, the hunger strikers are calling for the closure of Elbit’s UK factories.
Defend Our Juries also claimed that Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has refused to engage with the legal representatives or families of the hunger strikers.
Days before her arrest, Thunberg posted a message of support on Instagram, urging the state to intervene and meet what she described as “reasonable demands” aimed at ending what she called a genocide. A Palestine Action spokesperson said it was unclear whether police had misinterpreted the ban on the group or were treating expressions of support for imprisoned activists as grounds for terrorism-related arrests.
