Worry about loss of trust
Neubauer fears “political wrong path” at Fridays for Future
November 20, 2023, 6:45 a.m
The controversial statements by Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg are still having an impact. Luisa Neubauer talks about her mistaken assumption that the movement worldwide deals with anti-Semitism. There is a possibility that the climate protection movements will develop in the wrong direction.
After several pro-Palestinian appearances by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, German Fridays for Future representative Luisa Neubauer called on the climate movement to reposition itself. “The climate crisis of the 21st century requires us to have new narratives, new political ideas, new activist paths,” Neubauer told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). But there is “obviously a certain danger for climate movements of getting lost in the political aberrations of the 20th century.”
She “wrongly assumed that the respective national movements deal independently with questions of anti-Semitism, which is what we did here in Germany.” Regarding the stance of Fridays for Future Germany, Neubauer said: “It was clear to us: We don’t have to present a solution to a decades-old conflict, but we do have to ensure that our stance towards Israel’s right to exist and in dealing with anti-Semitic incidents is clear.”
With a view to the political situation in Germany, Neubauer now accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz via RND of not doing enough to promote social cohesion. Scholz has “so far not given the impression that it is his great effort to create social peace in this country through stringent, consistent, successful, socially just, timely and timely climate policy,” said Neubauer.
Name change “would be symbolic politics”
She sees the SPD politician as having “no sustainable government concept to date (…)”. In view of what Neubauer sees as trust in democracy eroding, a “chancellor who sets out to inspire people and encourage them” would, according to the climate activist, “be very helpful at the moment.”
After Thunberg’s much-criticized statements on the Middle East conflict, the 27-year-old previously emphasized in “Spiegel” that the German Fridays for Future movement saw no need to change its name. “To drop the name at this moment would be symbolic politics, and we can’t do much with symbolic politics. Our priority lies in the clarity of our stance.” The German section of the Fridays for Future movement founded by Thunberg had clearly distanced itself from their statements.
“We have given this movement its own identity – inspired by Greta, but independent and independent of her for years,” said Neubauer. The climate activist criticized Thunberg’s one-sidedness and emphasized the need to rethink international cooperation processes in order not to endanger the German movement. “The loss of trust is great,” said Neubauer.