The documentarian who filmed Greta Thunberg appearing to mock protesters still participating in the climate movement she started has spoken out in her defence.
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she → film → defence
In a newly released documentary titled 'On Tanks into the Climate Crisis – How Activism is Criminalised', the Swedish activist burst into laughter when she was informed that a Fridays for Future demonstration was taking place in Berlin.
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demonstration → release → Berlin
Fridays for Future is a movement launched by Thunberg in 2018, when she was just 15, after she began skipping school on Fridays to demand action on climate change.
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she → launch → change
What began in Sweden quickly snowballed into a global movement, inspiring millions of students to walk out of classrooms and take to the streets in rallies around the world.
In the clip that went viral, Greta is seen guffawing at the idea of demonstrations still taking place, saying: 'Really?
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demonstrations → begin → place
They still do that?'
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They → do → that
She quickly received backlash online, prompting the filmmaker to jump to her defence.
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She → receive → defence
In an Instagram video, Hubertus Koch, a German journalist and filmmaker, claimed the clip was 'taken out of context.
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clip → claim → context
'
'Greta does a great deal more than just participate in demonstrations - that is, practicing civil disobedience, suing states, and so on,' he said.
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he → do → states
In an Instagram video, Hubertus Koch, a German journalist and filmmaker, claimed the clip was 'taken out of context'
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clip → claim → context
Thunberg's activism has increasingly shifted towards vocal support for the pro-Palestinian cause
He added that Thunberg had outgrown her Fridays for Future era, and had determined that organised demonstrations and panel talks proved 'ineffective.
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demonstrations → shift → era
'And that’s why she laughs - in the sense of, "they’re still doing that",' he said.
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he → ’ → that
'Greta herself came to the conclusion that...
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Greta → come → conclusion
One must operate from the outside, in opposition, and with strong activism.
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One → operate → activism
Following her comments, Thunberg faced strong criticism online, with one person on X commenting: 'Climate was just the warm-up.
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Climate → follow → X
Hating Israel is the real job.'
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Hating → hat → Israel
Another person added: 'It suddenly isn't a problem anymore.
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It → add → ?
Just shows the credibility that she has.'
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she → show → that
A third said: 'Fridays for Future was a cult-like movement from the start, whose leaders secretly mocked the protesters back then and now openly mock them on camera.'
Thunberg first rose to fame as the face of the youth climate movement.
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Thunberg → say → movement
In recent years, however, her activism has increasingly shifted towards vocal support for the pro-Palestinian cause.
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activism → shift → cause
Last winter, she was arrested in central London at a protest supporting jailed Palestine Action protesters on hunger strike.
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she → arrest → strike
Footage showed the 22-year-old activist holding a sign saying 'I support Palestine Action prisoners, I oppose genocide' outside the headquarters of an insurance firm.
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I → show → firm
A City of London Police officer can be seen taking away the placard before asking Thunberg to stand.
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officer → see → Thunberg
Around the same time, Thunberg spoke out in support of several imprisoned Palestine Action activists who were on hunger strike.
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who → speak → strike
She described them as 'political prisoners' and joined calls for the charges against them to be dropped.
She was also detained last year by Israel after warships intercepted the aid flotilla headed for Gaza she was on.
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she → describe → Gaza
Thunberg's detention was the second such incident, after she was also taken by Israeli forces while onboard a separate ship headed for the Palestinian state last June.
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she → take → state
Most recently, she spoke in support of rapper Macklemore after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour for pro-Palestine statements made at one of his concerts.
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he → speak → concerts
The 23-year-old publicly backed Sheeran's 'cancellation', criticising him in a statement shared online.
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old → back → statement
In a statement on Instagram, Thunberg said: 'We are witnessing one of the biggest artists in the world being cancelled because they tried to 'both sides' Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people.
'
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they → say → people
This is a clear and undeniable sign that the global consciousness has shifted.
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consciousness → shift → ?
The normalisation of an apartheid state, and the attempts to sanitise or justify its actions, will no longer be tolerated.
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normalisation → sanitise → actions
Greta Thunberg reacts during a press conference at the COP31 UNFCCC Climate Conference
Thunberg sitting in a police van following her arrest by Police officers in London
Thunberg arrived at UN climate talks on Tuesday, in her first appearance since the 2021 talks in Glasgow, where she went viral for dismissing world leaders' promises as 'blah, blah, blah.'
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she → react → blah
The COP31 conference is being held in the Turkish resort city of Antalya following a year of deadly climate-related disasters, including heat waves and floods, and another energy shock caused by the Iran war.
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conference → hold → war
'It's a hypocrisy every year that the host countries are given an opportunity to whitewash themselves and we know that these negotiations are filled with lobbyists, paid by the very destructive industries which are benefiting from our extremely violent status quo,' Thunberg said as she arrived.
'Our political and economic systems that have become incompatible with human nature.'
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that → give → nature
COP31 co-hosts Turkey and Australia are promoting renewable energy and rooftop solar installations, but both still rely heavily on fossil fuels, especially coal, to generate electricity.
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both → promote → electricity
Previous hosts, including Brazil, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, are major oil producers.
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hosts → include → Brazil
Climate change is 'threatening everything,' Thunberg said, warning that 'everything and everyone we love is at stake.
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we → threaten → stake
'We should act to protect and benefit people rather than constantly sacrificing the global majority and the very planet we are all living on, for a fortunate few to keep making unimaginable profits and maintaining geopolitical power,' she added.
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she → act → power
The Aporia
