Greta Thunberg Sparks Huge Backlash With Controversial Palestinian Stance

CONTROVERSIAL climate activist, Greta Thunberg’s latest posts have sparked outrage with some sections of the media labelling her comments ‘anti-semitic.’

On Friday, October 28, the well-known climate activist Greta Thunberg participated in a climate strike where she voiced her solidarity with Palestine and Gaza, which resulted in a massive online backlash.

On the social media platform X, Thunberg posed with others holding signs that declared, ‘STAND WITH GAZA’ while another read ‘THIS JEW STANDS WITH PALESTINE.’

The photo was accompanied by her message which read: ‘Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.’ According to ABC she also urged the West to challenge its ‘racist policies’ and the ongoing ‘genocide in Gaza’.

Criticism For Thunberg’s Views

Germany has been a hotbed of dissent on this matter. Notably, Marcel Emmerich, a German deputy from the Green party, has expressed his reservations. ‘Such calls for solidarity, which are in reality solidarity with the terrible terror of Hamas,’ he commented.

Emmerich also expressed concerns about certain factions of the climate movement leaning towards ‘dangerous anti-Semitic and anti-Israel aberrations’. He remained hopeful that ‘Fridays For Future Germany will adopt a clear position and take a serious stance on this.’

In response, Fridays for Future Germany released a statement: ‘Israel’s right to exist is non-negotiable. International humanitarian law applies to everyone. Human rights apply to everyone.’ This appeared to distance themselves from other international factions of the movement.

Israeli Environmentalists Respond

The Israeli environmental community has been particularly vocal in their criticism of Thunberg. An open letter from a prominent Israeli environmental organisation expressed their dismay, describing her comments as ‘surprisingly one-sided, misinformed and superficial’.

Many members have reportedly withdrawn their support, and the Israeli Ministry of Education has decided to remove all mentions of Thunberg from their curriculum and textbooks, adding that her recent comment ‘disqualifies her from being a valuable inspiration.’ Their statement concluded with a sarcastic remark: ‘Hamas does not use sustainable materials in its missiles.’

Greta’s Response

Thunberg’s post received a volley of criticism, which left her no choice but to respond. On the original image posted there was a stuffed octopus toy, which she had to address: ‘It has come to my knowledge that the stuffed animal shown in my earlier post can be interpreted as a symbol for antisemitism, which I was completely unaware of.’

This referred to 1940s nazi propaganda in which a ‘jewish’ octopus is portrayed with its tentacles enveloping the world.

Thunberg added: ‘The toy in the picture is a tool often used by autistic people as a way to communicate feelings. We are of course against any type of discrimination, and condemn antisemitism in all forms and shapes. This is non-negotiable. That is why I deleted the last post.’

She later attempted to further clarify her message: ‘It goes without saying – or so I thought – that I’m against the horrific attacks by hamas. As I said, “the world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.”’