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Climate activist Greta Thunberg recently came under fire after she spoke about the Israel-Palestine conflict during a climate change protest in Amsterdam on Sunday. As per Fox News, Thunberg handed her mic to an Afghan woman named Sahar Shirazd, followed by a Palestinian woman named Sara Rachdan (identified by Times of Israel) to speak about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, as tens of thousands of people gathered to hear her speak.
After hearing what the women had to say, Greta resumed her speech, saying:
“We have not been listening. The people in power have not been listening.”
However, this was when she was interrupted by a middle-aged man wearing a vibrant green jacket, who grabbed her mic and said:
“I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view.”
He was escorted off the stage by volunteers. The video has now become viral on social media platforms, and netizens have been calling out Greta Thunberg for her alleged antisemitism. Here’s what @stillgray had to say in reply to a comment under his own post.
“Needs to be interrupted more often”: Greta Thunberg faces online backlash for speaking about Israel-Palestine conflict during a climate protest
20-year-old Swedish climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg has faced controversy after she reportedly turned a climate protest in the Dutch capital into a forum for speaking about the Israel-Palestine conflict. According to Fox News, she began her speech by saying:
"As a climate justice movement, we have to listen to the voices of those who are being oppressed and those who are fighting for freedom and justice. Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity."
Following this, she handed over her microphone to two women, one Palestinian and the other Afghan, who shared their pro-Palestine stances with the crowd. After Greta was handed back her mic, she spoke about how the people in power were not listening to the voices of the masses.
This is when a middle-aged man wearing a green jacket with the words ‘Water Natuurlijk’ (a Dutch political party focusing on water board politics) written on it grabbed her microphone and said that he was present for a “climate demonstration” and was not interested to hear her “political views.”
While he was ushered off the stage, the crowd erupted in protest, and Greta told him to “calm down” more than once before resuming her speech and joining the crowd chanting the slogan on repeat:
“No climate justice, on occupied land.”
Since the video of the incident emerged on social media, Greta Thunberg has faced online backlash. Here are some comments under @DC_Draino's tweet:
It is noteworthy that Thunberg wore a kaffiyeh during the Amsterdam climate protest, a headdress, or a scarf traditionally worn by Palestinians. According to Fox News, before the event started, a small group of activists gathered around the stage, waving Palestinian flags and uttering pro-Palestine slogans, such as “Palestine will be free.”
Reuters also reported that earlier during the protest, Greta’s speech was cut short by an organizer after she began chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Interestingly, last month, the State of Israel condemned Greta Thunberg after she tweeted in solidarity with the Palestinians.
"The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice, and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected," Greta wrote.
In response, the State of Israel tagged her on its tweet and said that Hamas did not use “sustainable materials for their rockets” and pointed out that those rockets killed many Israeli civilians. The post also reminded her that “the victims of the Hamas massacre could have been your friends” and asked her to speak up.
Meanwhile, in Amsterdam on Sunday, as part of the climate protest, over 70,000 people walked alongside Greta Thunberg, calling for immediate action from governments regarding the climate crisis ahead of the Netherlands’ national election in less than a fortnight.
