Greta Thunberg's Daring Act: Shocking Arrest at London Oil Conference Stuns the World

Greta Thunberg was reportedly arrested at a protest outside a luxury five-star hotel in London on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses informed CNN about the incident. The Metropolitan Police of London stated on Twitter that multiple arrests were made outside a hotel on Park Lane, but did not specifically mention Thunberg being among those detained.

The 20-year-old participated in a protest organized by climate group Fossil Free London outside the Intercontinental Hotel. The hotel was hosting the Energy Intelligence Forum, an annual summit that gathers CEOs from oil and gas companies including TotalEnergies, Shell, and Aramco. Thunberg and fellow protestors obstructed the hotel entrances, aiming to impede the delegates' access.

The Energy Intelligence Forum did not provide a comment in response to CNN's request at the time of publication.

In a statement issued by Fossil Free London before her arrest, Thunberg emphasized that "we have no alternative but to disrupt" due to the prevalence of greenwashing and falsehoods in our world.

She exclaimed, "The fossil fuel industry has employed tactics of diversion and delay, while also exploiting loopholes to sustain their operations at the planet's detriment. Our environment is suffocating under the weight of their emissions."

Greta Thunberg joined protestersduring the demonstration which used the slogan:"Oily Money Out."

Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

Greenpeace, along with Thunberg and hundreds of demonstrators, faced a strong police presence as they gathered in front of the upscale Park Lane hotel. Their objective was to protest against the fossil fuel industry's impact on climate politics in the UK and worldwide. According to the organization, protestors effectively obstructed all hotel entrances from 8 a.m. local time, and two climbers descended down the building, unveiling a 30-meter (98-foot) banner proclaiming "Make Big Oil Pay."

Thunberg criticized "cowardly politicians" for meeting with lobbyists from the oil industry, as stated by Greenpeace. She has had several encounters with the police during climate protests. In January, she was detained by police during a coal mine protest, and in July, she was fined by a Swedish court for defying police orders during a demonstration that blocked oil tankers in a section of Malmö harbor, Sweden.

Tuesdays protest marks the first of three days of action aimed at shutting down the conference, Greenpeace said

CNNs Issy Ronald and Laura Paddison contributed reporting.