Climate activist
Greta Thunberg calls for a solidarity strike for Palestinians – strong criticism
Greta Thunberg faces criticism over calls for anti-Israel posts on social networks
© Chris J Ratcliffe for Greenpeace / Getty Images
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has called for a solidarity strike for the people in the Palestinian territories on social networks. However, this met with strong criticism. Fridays For Future has also long been accused of hostility to Israel and anti-Semitism.
The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has drawn strong criticism with her call for a solidarity strike for the people of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
“Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world must raise its voice and demand an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for the Palestinians and all affected civilians,” Thunberg wrote on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, among others.
Criticism but also positive comments about Greta Thunberg
In an Instagram story, the 20-year-old also shared a post from the account “Palestine Speaks,” which calls for a global strike on October 20th that “will send a loud signal of our outrage over the genocide in Gaza and the repressive state terror against everyone “should be one that shows solidarity with the Palestinians.” Genocide is another word for genocide. It describes the targeted persecution and extermination of population groups that differ from others in terms of language, religion and tradition. Pro-Palestinian groups repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide against the Palestinians.
Screenshot of Greta Thunberg’s Instagram story
In her post on
Her post on X quickly received more than 8,000 comments – many of them critical. “Shame on you!”, “How dare you?” and “Where’s your post about Israeli victims?” were some of the comments. But there were also positive comments. One user wrote: “Applause for this young lady.” Another: “Thank you Greta for voting for Palestine rises.”
Critic: “Completely lost”, “not a word of empathy”
The politician and activist Jutta Dithfurth criticized on There is racism and discrimination on the part of Israel towards the Palestinians, but not genocide.
Danyal Bayaz, finance minister for the Green Party in Baden-Württemberg, wrote on
Anna Staroselski, spokeswoman for the Values Initiative association, which claims to be committed to strengthening the values of the free-democratic basic order from a Jewish perspective, accused Thunberg on apply.
Fridays For Future is accused of anti-Semitism and hostility to Israel
It is not the first time that the climate activist and her movement Fridays For Future (FFF) have attracted attention with anti-Israel posts.
In 2021, Thunberg shared a post by author and activist Naomi Klein, who accused Israel of “one war crime after another.” Klein has had in the past Boycott Israel called.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel to anti-Semitic posts were also posted on the Fridays For Future channels themselves. In January, Israel was accused of “neocolonialism and apartheid” on the Movement’s channel on X.
“We as Fridays for Future, as an anti-colonial, internationalist movement for climate justice, stand united on the side of the Palestinians and the Palestinian resistance against these inhumane crimes.”
The Baden-Württemberg anti-Semitism commissioner Michael Blume had have already expressed criticism of FFF statements in the past. The climate protection movement is only interested in the Middle East conflict “when it is against Jews.”
Sources: X, “The Guardian”, “Jewish General”, Federal Agency for Civic Education