Pro-Palestinian appearance
“Greta Thunberg is in the process of disenchanting herself”: There is a hail of criticism in the German press
Watch the video: Scuffle at the climate demonstration – man snatches the microphone from Greta Thunberg.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has once again used a climate demonstration to take sides with the Palestinians. With a traditional black and white Palestinian scarf around her neck, she said at a rally in Amsterdam on Sunday that the climate protection movement had a duty “to listen to the voices of those who are oppressed and who would fight for peace and justice.” A man then jumped on stage in front of cameras and wrestled with the climate activist for the microphone. He had come for a climate demonstration, not to hear political views, said the man, who was then led away to boos. After a similar action last month, Thunberg has already been criticized for not specifically mentioning the Israeli victims of the Hamas massacre on October 7. According to the organizers, around 85,000 people took part in the climate demonstration, making it the largest such demonstration in the Netherlands to date.
Greta has been worried since the beginning of the Gaza war Thunberg caused a stir with controversial statements. Her recent pro-Palestinian speech at a climate demonstration is the last straw for many. There is also criticism in the media.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has once again sparked outrage with a pro-Palestinian appearance. Thunberg spoke to tens of thousands of participants at a climate demonstration in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Sunday. She wore a black and white Palestinian scarf and said, among other things: “As a movement for climate justice, we must hear the voices of those who are oppressed and who fight for freedom and full justice.” During the Swede’s speech, an older protester came onto the stage, grabbed Thunberg’s microphone and shouted: “I came here for a climate demonstration, and not for political views.”
Green Party leader Ricarda Lang criticized Thunberg’s comments on Monday as “absolutely indecent”, the President of the German-Israeli Society (DIG), Volker Beck, described the comments at a major climate demonstration in Amsterdam as the “end of Greta Thunberg as a climate activist” . The Israeli embassy in Berlin commented on X that it was “sad how Greta Thunberg is once again abusing the climate stage for her own purposes.”
Thunberg is also being criticized in the German media. A look at the press.
Greta Thunberg criticized: “Credibility on climate issues has finally been lost”
“Badische Latest News” (Karlsruhe): “It is long overdue that parts of the politically active public break away from Thunberg’s almost messianic glorification. What did the outraged people expect? That Greta is so smart, unique and omniscient that they can say something significant and meaningful about all the problems in the world can? Surprise: it’s not her. She’s a 20-year-old who lets herself be taken over and shouts ill-thought-out slogans. And she betrays – definitely age-appropriate – some gaps in knowledge about the history of the Middle East conflict and anti-Semitism. However, the great excitement about this results from dear Greta’s crazy exaggeration.”
“Frankfurter Rundschau”: “As a figurehead of the global climate movement Fridays for Future, Thunberg has become intolerable. After sharing a pro-Palestine post online – the authors of which could rightly be described as anti-Semitic – she should have distanced herself from one-sided partisanship. Instead, Thunberg followed up by posting several “Stand with Gaza” posts on her own Instagram channel. With her shameful performance on Sunday, she has finally lost her credibility on climate issues.”
“Reutlinger General-Anzeiger”: “Now Greta Thunberg is in the process of disenchanting herself. The reserved, taciturn girl has become a woman with her own political views, which increasingly do not fit the ideas of the climate movement. In Amsterdam she took the side of the Palestinians at a climate demonstration. That is completely legitimate. Because of course you can express sympathy for the suffering of the Palestinians. But firstly, you could read much more from her statements, including the rejection of the Jewish state. And secondly, she is destroying her public image of the innocent fighter for climate protection becomes a partisan of the Palestinians. The climate protection movement becomes a platform for all sorts of political conflicts.”
“Northern Bavarian Courier” (Bayreuth): “Thunberg’s surfing on the shameful anti-Israel wave that is sweeping around the globe leaves the impression that the movement was once about the climate, but is now more about understanding terrorists. Strong voices are needed for climate protection more than ever. Too many things distract from this very important issue.”
“taz”: “With her positioning, Thunberg is driving a wedge into the climate movement instead of using its actual potential. Because who else but this young, globally-minded movement could be the engine for an anti-war movement that is accepted by all sides, because it does not forget that humanity has an overshadowing problem: the accelerating rise in temperatures worldwide. No climate justice without peace. But one-sided certainties won’t help.”
“Focus Online”: “Thunberg has now added anti-Semitism to the apocalypse. This means that it can no longer claim credibility for the international climate movement. Through its one-sided siding with the Palestinians, which – and this is not possible – turns completely against Israel, the icon has destroyed itself.”