Climate activist Greta Thunberg acquitted after London protest trial [Video]

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was on Friday cleared of a public order offence as a judge ruled police had no power to arrest her and others at a protest in London last year.

Thunberg stood trial with four other defendants who were arrested on Oct. 17 outside a London hotel, where the Energy Intelligence Forum was hosting oil and gas industry leaders.

All five were accused of failing to comply with an order made under the Public Order Act by police to move their protest to a designated area near the conference.

They were all acquitted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in a ruling which throws into doubt other prosecutions of those facing the same charge from the Oct. 17 demonstration.

Judge John Law ruled that London’s Metropolitan Police acted unlawfully in imposing conditions on the protest and that therefore Thunberg had no case to answer.

He said that police could have …