The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is giving her support to a French climate group that is being shut down by the French government. The group is accused of inciting violence.
On Wednesday, the French government banned the group SLT (Les Soulèvements de la Terre), one of the radical climate groups in the country that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin called “eco-terrorists”.
The government’s move has met with criticism from the left and from activist groups. Swedish Greta Thunberg expressed her support for the group in connection with her visit to a climate meeting in Paris during the day.
– This is about the right to protest and it is about the right to defend life, Thunberg said at a press conference and continued:
– I hope that more people take a stand against what is happening right now, and stand up for the right to protest.
The SLT is accused of inciting violent clashes with the police in March. 5,000 protesters then clashed with 3,000 police at a water reservoir in western France. Two protesters ended up in a coma, and around 30 police officers were injured in the tumult.
SLT believes that action is needed in response to an inadequate climate policy.