The scene took place in Amsterdam, Sunday November 12, during a climate march which brought together 70,000 people. Invited to speak, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, had just called for ” a ceasefire “ in Gaza when a man tried to snatch the microphone from him. “I came for a climate demonstration, not for a political point of view”he protests, before being pushed aside, while Greta Thunberg and activists begin to chant: “No climate justice on occupied land!” »
The image, which went around the world, reveals the extent of the dissensions within the climate movement, shared between those who defend the young woman’s pro-Palestinian positions and others, who criticize her for her lack of solidarity with Israel and its “blindness”even accusing him of not sufficiently denouncing anti-Semitism.
The divide came to light on October 20, after a message published by the Swedish activist on social networks, where she has 5 million followers on X and more than 14 million on Instagram. Calling for climate strike “in solidarity with Palestine”, Greta Thunberg poses with three young women amid signs proclaiming “Free Palestine” And “Stand with Gaza”. She asks “an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all affected civilians.”
The reactions are immediate. He is criticized for not mentioning the massacres committed by Hamas on October 7, nor the 239 hostages held in Gaza. One detail catches the eye: a stuffed blue octopus, which appears just above his shoulder. Internet users see it as a symbol used in anti-Semitic cartoons from the 1930s, where the octopus was used to represent the supposed domination of Jews over the world.
A few hours later, Greta Thunberg reframes the photo and assures that she “totally unaware” that the octopus could be “interpreted as a symbol of anti-Semitism”. The stuffed animal, she assures, “is a tool often used by autistic people to communicate their feelings” – she herself is diagnosed with Asperger’s. “We are of course opposed to any type of discrimination and condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms. This is non-negotiable”, she adds. Before publishing a new message the next day, where she specifies: “It goes without saying – or so I thought – that I am against Hamas’ horrible attacks. » The tweet is accompanied by the hashtag #standwithpalestine.
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