Greta Thunberg arrested in London during pro-Palestinian protest

London: Climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London on Tuesday while supporting pro-Palestinian activists staging a hunger strike to protest their imprisonment while awaiting trial over charges linked to earlier demonstrations.

The protest group Prisoners for Palestine shared a video showing the 22-year-old Swedish activist holding a placard in support of the hunger strikers and their organisation, Palestine Action. Earlier this year, the British government designated Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.

The demonstration formed part of a broader protest in the City of London, Britain’s financial district, during which two other activists sprayed red paint outside an insurance company’s premises. According to Prisoners for Palestine, the insurer was targeted over its alleged links to Elbit Systems, an Israel-linked defence firm.

City of London Police said a man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, while a third woman was later detained on suspicion of supporting a banned organisation. Police have not officially identified any of the suspects, in line with standard practice prior to formal charges.

Eight members of Palestine Action are currently on hunger strike, protesting their detention without bail while awaiting trial on various charges related to previous protests across the country. Prisoners for Palestine said the first two detainees have been on hunger strike for 52 days and are now at a “critical stage, where death is a real possibility.”

The British government has declined to intervene, maintaining that decisions on bail and detention fall under the jurisdiction of the courts.

With PTI inputs