Climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested by police on Wednesday for protesting against wind turbines in Norway.
Thunberg, along with other activists, were demanding the removal of wind turbines from reindeer pastures on Sami Indigenous land in central Norway.
The demonstrators in recent days have blocked access to some government buildings, putting the center-left minority government on a crisis footing and prompting Energy Minister Terje Aasland to cancel an official visit to Britain.
While hundreds of protesters yelled slogans, police lifted and hauled Thunberg away while she was holding a red, blue, yellow, and green Sami flag.
In 2021, Norway’s supreme court ruled that two wind farms at Fosen violated Sami rights under international conventions, but the turbines are still in use more than 16 months later.
This is the second time Thunberg has been arrested this year. In January, she was among the climate activists detained while protesting at the open-cast coal mine of Garzweiler 2 in Luetzerath, where she sat with a group of protesters near the edge of the mine.
“Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity,” a spokesperson for Aachen police told Reuters, adding one activist had jumped into the mine.
A witness told the news outlet on Friday that Thunberg was later seen sitting alone in a large police bus after having been detained.
“We are going to use force to bring you to the identity check, so please cooperate,” a policeman said to the protesters, according to Reuters footage.
The spokesperson said it was unclear what would happen to Thunberg, the group she was being held with, or whether the protester who jumped into the mine was injured.
The wave of climate protests prompted an international outcry, with government officials and art experts condemning the practice and museums all over the world increasing security.
“[Vandalism] alienates many people we need to bring into the fold. People who are natural allies in the climate battle but will draw negative associations with climate advocacy and activism from such acts,” said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann.
