Later Activism
After the speeches came the blockades: direct action, courtrooms, and a widening of the cause.
The turn to direct action (2022–2023)
After the pandemic years, Thunberg’s activism shifted from summit speeches toward civil disobedience against fossil-fuel infrastructure:
- January 2023 — Lützerath, Germany. She joined protesters opposing the expansion of the Garzweiler open-pit coal mine. German police briefly detained her during the clearance of the protest camp; she was released the same day without charge (widely reported with video, January 2023).
- 2023 — Malmö, Sweden. She took part in blockades of an oil terminal in Malmö. Swedish courts fined her twice in 2023 for disobeying police orders during the protests. She did not deny the actions; she contested the proportionality of the response.
- October 2023 — London. She was arrested at a protest outside an oil-and-gas industry conference. In February 2024 a London court cleared her of the public-order offence, ruling that police had had no power to impose the conditions she was accused of breaching (reported by the BBC and others).
COP summits: inside and outside
She attended COP27 (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022) only marginally — criticizing the summit’s corporate sponsorship — and has been increasingly critical of the COP process itself, calling summits ineffective while continuing to appear at fringe events. Her 2021 “blah, blah, blah” verdict on COP26 (see Timeline) set the tone: engagement from the outside, not the negotiating rooms.
“The Climate Book” and writing
In October 2022 she published “The Climate Book” — a compendium of short essays on the climate crisis by scientists, journalists, and writers, which she assembled and introduced. It extended her role from speaker to editor and curator of others’ expertise, consistent with her “listen to the scientists” framing.
Broadening to Palestine advocacy (2024–2026)
From late 2023, following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Thunberg began publicly supporting pro-Palestinian causes — appearing at demonstrations (sometimes wearing a keffiyeh), accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, and joining aid flotillas. Key events:
- September 2024 — arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Copenhagen (reported by the Palestine Chronicle and Danish media).
- June 2025 — the Madleen flotilla: intercepted and deported (see Gaza Flotilla).
- October 2025 — the Global Sumud Flotilla: intercepted, detained, deported 6 October 2025 (see Gaza Flotilla).
- 23 December 2025 — arrested in London under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying a placard reading “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide” at a Prisoners for Palestine demonstration outside the Aspen Insurance offices in the City of London. City of London Police confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old woman on suspicion of displaying an item in support of the proscribed organization Palestine Action; she was released on bail the same day, bailed to March 2026 (reported by PA, Reuters, and UK national outlets).
The shift drew both solidarity and sharp criticism, including from some former supporters — documented neutrally on Criticism and Response.
Where she stands now
As of early 2026, Thunberg remains an active protester rather than an institutional figure: no party, no NGO leadership role, no elected office. Her public presence is demonstrations, flotillas, social media, and occasional speeches — the same toolkit as 2018, applied to a wider set of causes.
Source notes
Events are as reported in contemporary wire and national coverage (AP, Reuters, PA, BBC, Danish media). Legal outcomes are reported outcomes, not this site’s legal analysis. Where reporting on 2025–2026 events is thin or contested, the event is described in neutral terms with the attribution given in the text.