“Condemn Hamas terror”
Luisa Neubauer is distancing herself from Greta Thunberg
October 28, 2023, 5:00 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Greta Thunberg sides with the Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza war. This causes outrage – including among Fridays for Future activists. “Our full solidarity goes out to Jews worldwide,” says Luisa Neubauer, criticizing the international account for its posts.
On behalf of Fridays for Future Germany, climate activist Luisa Neubauer has clearly distanced herself from anti-Israel statements on the climate protection movement’s international account. “Our full solidarity goes out to Jews worldwide, and we strongly condemn the terror of Hamas,” said Neubauer. “We strongly distance ourselves from the anti-Semitic posts on international channels.” The movement’s international networks are loose and structureless and there are few people behind individual posts. “It alarms us to see how these networks have been misused by a few, especially in the last few days, to share disinformation and anti-Semitism,” said Neubauer.
About a week ago, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who co-founded Fridays for Future, called for a strike in solidarity with the Palestinians on social networks, causing outrage. This Friday she spoke up again for the Palestinians. “Justice for Palestine,” read a sign that the 20-year-old held in her hands during her Friday climate protest in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm.
The international Fridays for Future account also made harsh accusations against the Israeli state and “Western media” on Instagram. Neubauer promised to take the events of the last few days very seriously. “I am personally committed to suspending global processes until we can be sure that a single group can no longer use global FFF accounts for disinformation and hate,” she said.
Politicians from the CDU and FDP had previously called for the German section to distance itself from Fridays for Future. “The anti-Israel statements made by Greta Thunberg and those around her are grist for Hamas’ mill,” said FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr to the newspapers of the Funke media group. Dürr said he did not consider the “thin explanations and statements” from the German branch of Fridays for Future to be sufficient. He expects “the clear termination of cooperation with Greta Thunberg and everyone who is now on the wrong side of history.”
The parliamentary managing director of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei, made a similar statement. “Parts of Fridays for Future poison the social climate with unacceptable anti-Semitic statements and conspiracy theories. The half-hearted demarcation of the German activists is unacceptable and irritating. There has to be more,” he also told the newspapers of the Funke media group.