Climate activist Thunberg and Fridays for Future International have been criticized for anti-Israel posts. Environment Minister Lemke fears that trust in the movement could be damaged.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke has criticized the statements made by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and the climate protection movement Fridays for Future International about the Gaza war. The movement has invaluable merit in climate protection, the Green politician told the Germany editorial network. However, “the unspeakable statements” destroyed “the great trust that many people, especially young people, have in the integrity of the movement.”
It was therefore right and “urgently necessary” that Fridays for Future Germany and the climate activist Luisa Neubauer clearly and unequivocally differentiated themselves from Fridays for Future International and made it clear “that they unreservedly condemn the terror of Hamas and the non-negotiable nature of Israel’s right to exist emphasize,” said Lemke.
Call for “Strike for Palestine”
About a week ago, Thunberg, who co-founded Fridays for Future, called for a strike in solidarity with the Palestinians on social networks, causing outrage. On Friday she spoke up again for the Palestinians. “Justice for Palestine,” read a sign that the 20-year-old held in her hands during her Friday climate protest in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm.
The international Fridays for Future account also made harsh accusations against the Israeli state and “Western media” on Instagram. Among other things, it was claimed that the global media was “financed by imperialist governments that support Israel.” The group spoke of “brainwashing” and described Israel as an “apartheid system” that was carrying out a “genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. There was no mention of the Israelis murdered by the militant Islamic Hamas.
Neubauer distances himself
Neubauer distanced himself from the anti-Israel statements on behalf of Fridays for Future Germany. “Our full solidarity goes out to Jews worldwide, and we strongly condemn the terror of Hamas,” Neubauer told the dpa news agency. “We strongly distance ourselves from the anti-Semitic posts on international channels.” The international account does not speak for the German climate protection movement.
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, called on Fridays for Future Germany to break away from the international organization and to rename itself. He accused Fridays for Future International of a “crude distortion of history” and a “demonization of Israel.”