“Fridays for Future” shared a post on the social media platform Instagram. In this, the climate activists want to explain to their followers how Western media is brainwashing people to be on Israel’s side. It is the latest anti-Semitic gaffe by activists around Greta Thunberg.
“Brainwashed to side with Israel”
The climate activists are inciting against Israel. You write in your article that if you look closely at the founding of the State of Israel, you would see that Israel operates “an apartheid system” against the Palestinian population. In doing so, Israel would be committing “genocide” against the Palestinians. Incredible statements from climate activists!
Western media would deliberately withhold information
“Fridays for Future” accuses Western media of deliberately withholding information, which in their view amounts to a lie. The goal is to put Israel in a better light and at the same time to “dehumanize” the Palestinians in the reporting. Nor would the Western media mention that Israel stole their land from the Palestinians. And: The fact that women and children die in Gaza every day as a result of Israeli attacks also has no place in the reporting.
The conflict is “not complicated”
And it gets even cruder: “Fridays for Future” accuse the Western media of describing the conflict as complicated so that people don’t inform themselves. However, the “occupation of Palestine” is anything but complicated, but rather very simple: there have been “the oppressors” and “the oppressed” for 75 years.
Western media turns “all Palestinians into terrorists”
According to Thunberg supporters, the Western media portrays all Palestinians as terrorists. Then also all Arabs and finally all Muslims.
The posting culminates in accusing all Western media of “propaganda”. And the call not to believe the media when reporting on Israel. The reactions to the post are largely against the view of the “Fridays for Future” movement. The users accuse the activists of anti-Semitism. Many also wrote that they would no longer tolerate the “Hamas propaganda” of the climate movement.
The German branch of the “Fridays for Future” movement has distanced itself from the post.
Greta Thunberg previously caused outrage by calling for solidarity with Palestinians
The Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg had previously called for a strike for solidarity with the Palestinians instead of a strike for the climate on Friday. Thunberg wrote on the online networks X and Instagram on Friday: “Today we are on 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.” Pro-Palestinian organizations had called for a “general strike,” and Thunberg shared the leaflet in an Instagram story.
Thunberg’s contribution received a lot of attention in the online media and caused outrage in parts of German politics. Critics particularly complained that Thunberg did not specifically mention the 1,400 deaths in the major attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel two weeks ago.
The anti-Semitism commissioner for the state of Baden-Württemberg, Michael Blume, called the posting on the platform X, formerly Twitter, “dualistic, false and trivializing terrorism.” Landshut Bundestag member Marlene Schönberger from the Greens told “Welt” that Thunberg had achieved a lot in the fight for climate protection. However, with her statement she proves that the compassion she has “for those affected by the climate crisis” does not apparently apply to Jews affected by “barbaric acts of extermination”.
