A Swedish student who live-streamed a protest on a plane against the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker has been fined.
Elin Ersson, 22, was fined 250 euros ($AUD396), but avoided a prison sentence at the Gothenburg district court, after she was found guilty of violating aviation laws.
She was fined for her role aboard a passenger plane from Gothenburg to Istanbul after learning an asylum seeker would ultimately be transferred to another plane and sent to Afghanistan.
Ms Ersson stood up and refused to get back in her seat as the aircraft sat on the tarmac.
The Swedish woman refused to take her seat, filming the entire stand-off. Source: Supplied
Knowing the pilot would be unable to take off with a passenger out of their seat, Ms Ersson pulled out her phone and started live streaming to Facebook as she demanded the man be taken off the plane.
After applause from passengers, the aircraft crew removed the Afghan man.
The young Swedish activist was then escorted off the flight.
Elin Ersson was charged with violations of the Aviation Act. Source: AAP
The penalty for breaking the Aviation Act in Sweden is a fine or six months imprisonment, but the court found Ms Ersson's protest was not serious enough for a prison sentence.
Sweden's recognition of asylum seekers has plummeted in the past two years, after it previously took in tens of thousands of Afghans.
Together, European countries returned almost 10,000 rejected Afghan asylum seekers in 2016 - almost triple the number in the previous year.
- With AAP
Share
