Climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by police in central London on Tuesday while showing solidarity with pro-Palestinian activists who are on a hunger strike to protest their continued detention as they await trial over earlier demonstrations.

The group Prisoners for Palestine released footage showing the 22-year-old Swedish activist holding a placard in support of the hunger strikers and Palestine Action, an organisation that was designated a terrorist group by the British government earlier this year.

The arrests occurred during a broader protest in the City of London, the country’s financial district, where two activists sprayed red paint outside the premises of an insurance company. Prisoners for Palestine said the firm was targeted over its alleged links to Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence manufacturer.

City of London Police said officers arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of criminal damage. A third woman was later detained on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation. Police in Britain typically do not identify individuals before charges are formally filed.

According to Prisoners for Palestine, eight members of Palestine Action have launched a hunger strike to challenge their detention without bail while facing charges related to protests held across the UK. The group said the first two participants have been refusing food for 52 days and are now in a critical condition, warning that their lives are at serious risk.

The UK government has declined to interfere in the matter, maintaining that decisions regarding bail and detention fall under the jurisdiction of the courts.

Thunberg was previously acquitted in February 2024 of failing to comply with a police order to leave a protest blocking access to a major oil and gas conference in London. She has also faced fines in Sweden and the UK in connection with acts of civil disobedience linked to various protest movements.

Source: AP