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3. Greta Thunberg Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protest in London

London police on Tuesday arrested Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg during a demonstration held in support of pro-Palestinian hunger strikers, according to Palestinian activist groups.

The group Prisoners for Palestine said in a statement that Thunberg was detained under the UK’s Terrorism Act while attending what it described as a “lock-on protest” in central London. The arrest makes Thunberg the highest-profile individual detained since the British government banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation earlier this year.

The demonstration was organized in solidarity with activists currently imprisoned on charges related to their alleged support for Palestine Action, a group banned under UK law.

According to the statement, Thunberg was holding a placard reading, “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Activist groups said the protest aimed to draw attention to the hunger strike being undertaken by detainees and to demand their release.

UK authorities have not immediately commented on the circumstances of Thunberg’s arrest or specified the grounds under which the Terrorism Act was applied. No details were available on whether she was later released or formally charged.

The City of London Police confirmed that Thunberg later arrived at the scene and was arrested for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organization, an offense under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Authorities did not immediately say whether she had been formally charged.

Thunberg has in recent years expanded her activism beyond climate issues. In October, she was among hundreds of people who boarded a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, drawing international attention and criticism.

Broader Context

The arrest comes amid heightened tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the United Kingdom since the outbreak of the Gaza war, with authorities stepping up enforcement at protests deemed to involve banned organizations or public-order violations.

The British government formally outlawed Palestine Action in July after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) in damage. The ban makes membership of, or public support for, the group a serious criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and has significantly expanded police powers to intervene at demonstrations.

Several members of the group remain in custody facing charges including break-ins and criminal damage. Eight detainees aged between 20 and 31 have launched hunger strikes in protest at their treatment and in an effort to secure release on bail. According to their supporters, two began refusing food in early November, with others joining in subsequent weeks.

Protest organizers from Defend Our Juries say the ban has led to more than 2,300 arrests nationwide. The Metropolitan Police said in late November that 254 of those detained had been charged with lesser offenses carrying potential sentences of up to six months.

Asked about the hunger strikes in parliament last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said authorities were following established “rules and procedures.”

Thunberg, best known for her global climate activism, has in recent months increasingly voiced support for Palestinian causes, drawing both praise from supporters and criticism from political figures who accuse her of straying beyond environmental advocacy. Her detention is likely to intensify debate in Britain over protest rights, the scope of counterterrorism laws, and the policing of demonstrations linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict.