“Don’t talk the talk unless you can walk the walk” is the well-used phrase. For the sake of clarity is means that people should do what they say they are going to do and not just talk about it. And I have immense admiration for Greta Thunberg for walking the walk in her campaign to change the world’s addiction to fossil fuels and humankind’s general apathy about climate change. Yes, many people are genuinely concerned about global warming but they don’t do their bit to stop it. They should. Greta does. And she does it fearlessly with commitment.
The latest headline in The Times regarding Greta is: “Thunberg clashes with police straight after oil protest fine.”
Recently, Greta Thunberg was in court being fined for civil disobedience. Immediately after receiving that fine, she committed some more civil disobedience because she feels that she is driven to do it.
Those destroying the planet are the real criminals, we should have no shame in saying so.
Clive Lewis MP
In her court appearance she told the judge that she had acted out of necessity but she was found guilty of disobeying police. She had joined other protesters blocking an oil terminal in the port of Malmo last month. She was charged with refusing to comply with police orders to leave.
Shortly after her conviction, Thunberg, returned to the Malmo Harbour with members of the environmental activist group Reclaim the Future. She repeated what she had done in June by obstructing traffic when sitting in the road.
We cannot save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.”
Greta Thunberg
She was carried away by police officers wearing the same gray T-shirt that she had worn in court hours earlier! That is walking the walk. That is commitment. That is behaving fearlessly. It is the behaviour of a leader. Our political leaders don’t have that kind of guts. They talk and talk and talk but rarely do they walk!
Are you as sick and tired as I am of the bland verbosity of politicians in making pledges and promises but not really carrying them out. They do a bit here; they do a bit there in a kind of green washing but they don’t truly commit to do what is necessary. And as Thunberg says it is a necessity to do what is necessary.
In Thunberg’s earlier court appearance, she denied committing a crime. According to the local newspaper she said: “My actions are justifiable. I believe that we are in an emergency that threatens life, health and property. Countless people and communities are at risk in the short term and in the long term.”
Despite those excellent words, the judge fined her 1500 kronor (£110) +1000 kronor for the national victims of crime fund. It is worth noting that the failure to obey a police order carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison. Greta Thunberg risks a six months prison sentence in returning to her previous crime scene. Although of course you would not call it a crime. To her it is not a crime. It is civil disobedience brought about by the dire situation in which humankind finds itself due to humankind’s negligence and carelessness.
A spokesperson from Reclaim the Future said: “We know it is right to stop the fossil fuel industry, regardless of the court’s decision.”
