Young climate activists denounce ‘youth-washing’ in Milan

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Young climate activists have denounced Italian police for temporarily detaining delegates who protested peacefully inside their Milan conference before Italian Premier Mario Draghi’s speech. Discontent with the three-day conference had bubbled from its start. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said the delegates had been “cherry-picked” and that organizers were not really interested in their ideas. But the frustration overflowed on the youth event’s final day. Half a dozen young activists demonstrated their disillusionment by flashing a cardboard sign reading “The Emperor Has No Clothes’’ at Draghi, and walking out before he addressed the group on Thursday. The delegates said police then detained them, asked to see their passports and released them after about 20 minutes.