Greta Thunberg charged with public order offence after Fossil Free London protest

Greta Thunberg has been charged following a protest outside an energy conference in central London. She was one of 26 activists who were arrested near the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on Tuesday while oil executives met inside as part of the Energy Intelligence Forum.

Officers said they asked the protesters to move from the road onto the pavement which would have allowed them to continue protesting legally. They said they had imposed conditions to “prevent disruption to the public”.

The 20-year-old environmental campaigner was bailed after being charged with breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 15.

The Met police said on Tuesday (October 17) that it imposed conditions on the protesters under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, to "prevent serious disruption to the community, hotel and guests".

It said officers had asked the activists to move from the road and on to the pavement if they wanted to continue their protest but a number of them failed to do so and were arrested. This resulted in the arrest of 21 people, who were later charged with failing to comply with orders to move off the road and five had been charged with obstructing the highway.

The Fossil Free demonstration was held on the opening day of the three-day Energy Intelligence Forum - formerly known as the Oil and Money conference - where executives from Shell and Total were scheduled to speak.

Speaking at the rally, Ms Thunberg said: "Behind these closed doors at the Oil and Money conference, spineless politicians are making deals and compromises with lobbyists from destructive industries - the fossil fuel industry.

"People all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries who we allow to meet with our politicians and have privileged access to."