COPENHAGEN: Danish police on Monday said they had arrested 20 people at a protest demanding maritime transport company Maersk to stop delivering military equipment to Israel.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among the protesters who gathered at Maersk’s headquarters in Copenhagen. Police used batons and tear gas to disperse several protesters, according to photos published by local media. “We are here to demand that Maersk must stop all the transportation of weapons and weapon components to Israel,” Thunberg said in a video posted on social media. “They must terminate all contract and investment that supports the genocide and occupation of Palestine.”

Thunberg, the face of the “Fridays for Future” climate protest movement, has participated in several protests in support of Palestinians since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Maersk said the cargo did not contain “weapons or ammunition”. “These shipments contain military-related equipment and are derived from US policy under the US-Israeli security cooperation programme. The cargo has been screened and complies with applicable laws,” Maersk said in a message.

“We tried using dialogue to get the protesters to leave the area, it’s a private area. And in the end, the dialogue stopped and then we had to use the necessary means to remove the protesters from the area,” a police spokesperson said.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025