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Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been arrested in London under the Terrorism Act after attending a protest in support of Palestine Action prisoners outside the offices of Aspen Insurance in the City.
The arrest followed a direct action at Plantation Place on Fenchurch Street, where two activists earlier covered the front of the Aspen Insurance building in red paint using repurposed fire extinguishers before locking themselves on at the entrance.
The demonstrators said the action was intended to highlight Aspen’s alleged involvement in what they described as genocide, disrupt the company’s operations, and force the building to close.
Aspen Insurance was targeted because it provides employers’ liability insurance to Elbit Systems UK, insurance that is legally required for the arms manufacturer to operate in Britain.
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons producer and supplies the majority of its drone fleet as well as land-based military equipment.
The protest was also carried out in solidarity with Palestine Action prisoners who are currently on hunger strike.
The hunger strike, which began on November 2, has now entered its eighth week. The first two prisoners to join the protest have been without food for 52 days and are reported to be in a critical condition, with concerns that their lives may be at risk.
Campaigners say the British Justice Secretary, David Lammy, has refused to meet legal representatives or family members of the hunger strikers.
After the two activists locked onto the building, additional supporters gathered at the scene. Thunberg later arrived holding a placard reading, “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” She was subsequently arrested by the police.
The incident follows a similar case in Scotland, where a protester was detained under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act for displaying a sign expressing support for Palestine Action hunger strikers.
In a statement posted on Instagram earlier this week, Thunberg voiced her support for the prisoners, calling on the British state to intervene and meet what she described as reasonable demands.
She urged continued mobilisation to pressure the government and reiterated calls to shut down Elbit’s operations in the UK, ending the message with a call for Palestinian freedom.
