Climate march in Amsterdam
Thunberg takes the side of the Palestinians at the demonstration
November 12, 2023, 7:18 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
It is not the first time that climate activist Greta Thunberg has taken a stand after the Hamas attack. At a demonstration in Amsterdam, the Swede doesn’t just wear a traditional Palestinian scarf. With a slogan she obviously alludes to the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has once again used a climate demonstration to take sides with the Palestinians. Wearing a traditional black and white Palestinian scarf around her neck, she told a livestreamed rally in Amsterdam that the climate movement had a duty to “listen to the voices of those who are oppressed and who fight for peace and justice.”
Thunberg then passed the microphone to a woman, also wearing a Palestinian scarf, who claimed that Israel was committing “genocide in my country.” Israel specifically attacks hospitals and civilians, the woman said. Many participants reacted outraged to the accusations. A man jumped onto the stage in front of cameras and shouted into the microphone: “I came here for a climate demonstration, not to hear political views.”
Thunberg then called on the participants to remain calm and then chanted several times: “No climate justice on occupied land.” (“There is no climate justice on occupied land.”) She was obviously alluding to the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. After a similar action last month, Thunberg had already been criticized for not specifically mentioning the Israeli victims of the Hamas massacre on October 7, which left around 1,200 dead.
According to the organizers, around 85,000 people took part in the climate demonstration; It was the largest such demonstration in the Netherlands to date. The march was organized by climate and environmental protection groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Oxfam and Greenpeace. In a joint statement, they referred to the importance of the parliamentary elections on November 22nd. These are “the most important that ever existed” for climate protection.