Greta Thunberg got arrested again. She won’t be getting out this time. The Swedish climate activist was taken into custody by police in Rome after she tossed a box of exploding confetti into the fountain at St. Peter’s Square. Witnesses say the box went off with a loud pop, sending a cloud of paper and smoke over the water and sending tourists running.
Interpol Director Alex Bruno says Thunberg “went over the line.” “Setting off any explosive device, however tiny, counts as terrorism,” Bruno said.
According to people who were in the square, Thunberg arrived with a small group of activists carrying signs about fossil fuels. They gathered near the fountain, chanted for a few minutes, and then Thunberg pulled a box out of her backpack and threw it into the water.
“At first everyone thought it was a firework,” said an American tourist who was standing nearby. “Then people started screaming. Security came from every direction.”
Officers tackled one of the activists and quickly surrounded Thunberg. She did not resist. Video shared online shows her being led away in handcuffs as she shouted slogans about the climate.
Nobody was injured, but authorities say that doesn’t change much. Under the law, she’s getting three years minimum.
“She’s lucky no one got hurt, or she’d be facing a lot more time,” Bruno said.
Thunberg has been arrested many times over the years during protests in Europe and beyond, from blocking roads to occupying government buildings. In most of those cases, she was released within hours or days. This time, officials say, the situation is different.
“Throwing an explosive device into a crowded public space is not activism,” said one Italian security official. “It’s a crime, and a serious one.”
Her supporters were quick to call the charges excessive. Some argued that confetti poppers are sold in party stores and hardly count as explosives. Climate groups called the arrest a political attack meant to scare young activists.
Critics weren’t buying it. Many said Thunberg has spent years pushing the limits and was always going to cross the line eventually.
“She’s been getting a pass since she was a teenager,” one commentator wrote. “That had to end at some point.”
Bail has been set at $5 million, according to people familiar with the case. That number shocked her supporters. What shocked them even more was that her parents apparently aren’t planning to pay it.
People close to the family say they love their daughter but believe she needs to face the consequences of her actions this time. They have declined to comment publicly.
Thunberg remains in custody while prosecutors prepare their case. Her lawyers say they plan to fight the charges and argue that the confetti posed no real danger.
For now, the activist who has made a career out of protest is sitting in a cell in Rome. Mom and Dad won’t post the $5 million. Lock her up.