Sweden charges Greta Thunberg for blockading oil port
The climate activist blocked a port handling fossil fuels with a group of young activists in June.
The purpose and function of the police and the courts is the protection of capital from the people. Some cases illustrate this more clearly than others. This is one of them.
Laws are threats made by the dominant socioeconomic-ethnic group in a given nation. It’s just the promise of violence that’s enacted and the police are basically an occupying army. You know what I mean?
Let's make some bacon.
Turns out that in their demands on Sweden to change the way they apply the law when it comes to PKK demonstations, what Turkey is doing wrong is making it a quid pro quo for approving NATO membership rather than just helping the Swedish upper classes get richer.
Clearly freedom of speech CAN be traded in Sweden, as long as its for cold hard cash.
I could demonstrate to you That every single bank robbery That in every single case practically The cost of the police was more than The actual money that the robbers took from the bank Does that mean, 'Oh, you see There's really no economic interest involved, then They're not protecting the banks The police are just doing this 'cause they're on a A power trip or they're macho, or they're control freaks That's why they do it' No, of course, it's an economic... Of course, they're defending the banks Of course, because if they didn't stop that bank robbery Regardless of the cost, this could jeopardize The entire banking system You see, there are people who believe That the function of the police Is to fight crime, and that's not true The function of the police is social control And protection of property...
Absolutely amazing. For those who say are saying that it was too extremist of a position, I'd say fuck off. She is doing what we all need to be doing. Oil companies and governments aren't going to help us out of the climate catastrophe that is coming. They simply aren't. Capitalism will not allow it. This is the only option we have left.
Well, that's assuming they get to keep their money. My preference would be that we need to start taking it, but that likely won't happen. They won't help out of good will, but hopefully we can make them help by force.
Something that intrigued me was how Martin Luther King managed to do so much through nonviolent protest. Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat and the bus boycotts made people realize how absurd and unfair Jim Crow laws were.
He even participated in a sit in at a department store and was arrested for it. People were getting arrested in such numbers for such simple things it made people think about what King and his followers were trying to do.
I have no doubts that Ms. Thunberg has good intentions, but her protests are simply ineffective. In this case, "blockading" an oil port just frustrates people for delaying a crucial product.
Do you have any idea how the civil rights protests worked? Do you think MLK just asked everyone nicely to give black people rights pretty please? MLK did the exact same kind of thing as Greta, so don't even pretend you give half a shit about MLK when you're making it crystal clear that you don't know a goddamn thing about his methods or beliefs. You wanna know what MLK actually thought about violent protests? In his own words: "A riot is the language of the unheard."
I hate how often people like you use MLK to hide behind while misinterpreting him and ignoring everything he actually stood for.
Based Greta, the one actual girlboss.
The only thing better than Greta's commitment to fighting against climate change, is seeing how much she pisses off old rich men. One day I'm going to make a shirt that says "Your girlfriend would rather fuck Greta" just to watch them seethe even harder.
She should be getting a Nobel prize for putting a rapist sex-trafficker in prison with a single tweet.
Though I wish this were true it is not. Romanian authorities, specifically Ramona Bolla of DIICOT confirmed that the tweet had nothing to do with locating him.
It is a funny coincidence though.
I don't think that is necessarily relevant. Romania didn't seem to be in a hurry to arrest him until she made the post. I think the more relevant thing she did was to embarrass Romania into action.
You suggesting that Romanian authorities rely on tweets of some social media celebrity to arrest another one is not that different from Top scumbag himself suggesting he can bribe his way to stay away from prison in Romania. Both are pretty insulting to Romania.
Granted, yours isn't as bad, yet you should still reconsider your position.
Let's agree though that the timing was hilarious
He isnt in prison because he isnt a rapist, neither a trafficker
Okay, then why do you think he's in prison...?
"We blocked the port in order to stop the use of fossil fuels that are killing innocent people," she said. "The real crimes continue inside the gate of the port. We are not going to sit and wait while the fossil fuel industry takes our dreams away from us." Asked if she's worried about the consequences of the trial, she replied: "I personally am more worried about the horrible harm the fossil fuel industry is doing to the world." "I'm not going to stop while they are threatening the planet."
Much of the oil and gas industry says that continued production is necessary in order to meet global energy demands. Cutting oil and gas production would be "dangerous and irresponsible", the head of energy company Shell told BBC News. The International Energy Agency has said that there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal now if governments are serious about the climate crisis. UN chief António Guterres recently said investment in new oil and gas production was "economic and moral madness". This week the world experienced its hottest day on record on Tuesday, topping 17C for the first time.
Our world burns and people suffer so that oil companies can turn a profit. The few are making decisions that will have disasterous effects on the many in the not too distant future.
Asked if she’s worried about the consequences of the trial, she replied: “I personally am more worried about the horrible harm the fossil fuel industry is doing to the world.” “I’m not going to stop while they are threatening the planet.”
This. This is activism. I'm not brave enough to face a justice system hostile to my existence like she does, so I'm glad she's there to do it.
As long as people are buying gas for their cars and flying planes around the world, oil companies will need to exist.
It’s so strange to me how people will protest oil companies, then go fill up their tank at the gas station. Or fly across the globe for their vacations.
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
John F. Kennedy, 1962
I wish you were right. Look at Bulgaria. A year of peaceful protest, and the ones who were supposed to save us from the corrupt government made a coalition with them and thus rehabilitated the mafia government. I hope that I get proven wrong, and Kennedy is correct, but only time will tell.
She’s charged basically for not leaving a the premises when told by police, she’ll likely receive a fine.
She’ll be alright and will get a chance to argue in court, a new platform one might even argue. I don’t think this is anything to get rallied up or worried about, civil disobedience works sometimes
And this isn't the first time. A lot of climate activists (and I assume Greta included) love these non-compliance fines, since it's basically advertising for them
Arresting her literally just makes her louder since it gets news coverage.
Getting arrested was likely the plan the whole time lol
Where were you when Greta pulled up with three dozen ships of the line, each with 140 guns to blockade Sweden’s oil port?
It should be worth noting that Sweden's government is extremely right wing so this is a badge of honour for Greta, I'd imagine.
Good.
Because it highlights it internationally and brings more attention than if they didn't. Attacking/protesting the corporations which are most responsible for the situation we're in has shifted public consciousness to understanding.
I didn't even know she was protesting. Now I do.
Human activity and wealth flows like water: through the path of least resistance. You can't affect change unless and until it is easier not to use oil than it is to use it.
Oh no! The horror! These Fossil Fuel companies are out there making fuel out of the goodness of their hearts, and these people come in and just sit there blocking them?
It's making me sick what these extremists are capable of.
I think we should use every political tool democratic states have used so far to protect oil supplies to fight these terrorists.
So carpet bombing the next demonstration should be fine. That'll show them how merciful the political center is.
Civil disobedience working as intended. Using celebrity, and the legal system to generate the necessary noise. Give them hell Greta!
I feel like you guys don't understand how the laws work in sweden, you can't just pick and choose who you charge (I expect that it's like that in any non-corrupt country)
Even in relatively corruption-free countries, there are often shadow mechanisms the governments uses to decide who they charge with a crime.
Prosecutors can just say they don't have a case, or they can fumble the case purposefully in the initial stages to give credence to the "no case" idea.
We don't have to look any further than how police charge themselves to see how the laws don't fairly apply to everyone. And a simple google search will reveal that Sweden is not immune to police corruption, which shouldn't surprise anyone.
"Disobeying police orders", which is what Thunberg was charged with, is one of those catch-all laws that are purposefully vague in a way that allows police total discretion over how to enforce it.
I guarantee in this case that calls were made all the way up the top of the Swedish government before police decided what to do here.
Basically, my point is that there are so many strings to pull, even in developed countries, that it's often possible to suss out the motivations of the administration just by examining how charges proceed.
What this says about Thunberg getting charged for her actions? Probably nothing significant. Sweden cannot allow activists to freely disrupt their economic infrastructure, especially those involving energy. So they charge her as "normal" regardless of her celebrity status. Though they will be very careful to do everything by the book with so many eyes on the case.
You talking about the same government that allowed two different people to burn the Quran, one Infront of the Turkish embassy, while being blocked by turkey to join Nato? I don't think you guys understand, sure there is corruption in Swedish politics, but if any of them tried to influence the rule of law? They'd be unbelievably fucked
E: I'm literally swedish wtf
It's all for publicity. You should post the videos where the police are being all nice and chatting her up and taking selfies with her before carrying her away at the last protest. News outlets only posted the videos of her being carried away. Other outlets leaked the before images of her posing for pictures and smiles with the cops. It's all bullshit.
Good. Stopping people from doing their jobs or inconveniencing the public aren't how you should protest. You deserved to be locked up for doing that. If you don't like something, you advertise and get the word around so you can eventually get it fixed going through the correct systems.
Ah yes, I remember the civil rights movement where black Americans just politely asked politicians to please give them rights. And the gay rights movement where nobody was arrested. And the protests in Hong Kong which were very peaceful. And the non-provocative Tiennaman Square protest. And the protests for women's rights against the Taliban where no laws are being broken
Good memories. Those were real protesters! They just quietly and politely asked for acknowledgement of their humanity, as one should.
Nowadays who knows what people are capable of. I've heard somebody threw paint on the glass in front of some painting!
These people should get shot for advocating such horrible violence.
and you think this is how the rights your lazy ass inherited were won?
that has never worked
I don't know. I remember when people changed the color of their twitter profiles and ended racism.
Do you think you get 5 days workweeks and paid holidays just because your ancestors politely asked for it ?
There simply are not enough people who understand that the origins of modern policing are in groups like the Pinkertons.
If you don't inconvenience others in your protest, your protest is just masturbation, ie pointless.
People like you will be hilariously blaming the environmentalists and not the capitalists when water ceases to come out of your tap from the capitalist's fine work.
I remember how Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid by going through the correct systems and then apartheid ended! Problem solved!
There is no "eventually" regarding climate, the time for civility was decades ago and we're out of time. Remember oil companies have their own research divisions and knew all of this before the public, it is a crime against humanity and the public has to hold them accountable somehow.
absolutely brain dead take
Suspiciously horrible take
What? 😂
Are you lost?
Hah. Going through the correct systems....good one.
And you deserved to get fucked up for promoting a way of life that threatens other people's existence, health and well being.
Yeah, damn ungrateful plebes who don't know how to stick to their place in the natural order of things!!!
/s
With that logic, people like you deserve to be punished for being complacent with negligent homicide and property damage. My country is being wracked with extreme weather events and my countrymen are now inconvenienced with rising costs of and lack of water supply due to lowering water levels due to the extreme heat because of climate change, and guess what? Lots of people dying to heat stroke, because of the high humidity levels. There is a limit to the temperature people can survive with those humidity levels. People like you only care about convenience, even though hundreds of millions of people will suffer or even die from it because people like you DON'T CARE, and you only will when you complain about the incoming climate refugee crisis. Someday it will be so hot out that poor people won't be able to protest outside, and the rich people ever more out of touch with reality because they'll never get out of their air-conditioned houses.
Lemmy world is fucked. I give this place 3 months before everyone GTFO's and leaves it to be a leftist shithole with 30 people.
You also have multiple right-wing shitholes that promise free speech and also drive us out. I'd say the favor is returned here.