At a climate march in Amsterdam on November 12, the one and only Greta Thunberg gave a speech to thousands of protesters. All went smooth — until she had her mic SNATCHED out of her hands by an activist.
The man who took the microphone is a former member of the Dutch political party Water Natuurlijk. The party has made it clear that his actions didn’t reflect their views, as the AD writes.
What exactly went down?
Let’s give you some context: it all started before Thunberg took the stage.
A Palestinian activist had her speech cut short when she called Israel a “country of terrorism” and uttered the controversial slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
When it was Greta’s turn to speak, Thunberg said that we should “listen to the voices of those who are oppressed (…) [because], there can be no climate justice without international solidarity”.
READ MORE | How do the Dutch feel about climate change?
This was when the man felt compelled to cut her short, brutally grabbing her mic. Why did he do it? “[He] came for a climate demonstration, not a political meeting”. 👇
Although several people cheered him on, he was quickly taken offstage — and Greta continued her speech.
He regrets it… maybe
After the hubbub, the man realised that maybe this wasn’t the best way to go about it. It happened on a whim, and he was likely so overcome with emotion that he couldn’t control himself.
I was only there briefly, but I saw maybe two thousand people carrying climate signs and one “free Palestine”
— Ben Coates (@bencoates1) November 12, 2023
As of now, the man hasn’t released any statement, despite international interest in him. He’s turned down several interview requests, and it seems like he won’t speak on the incident anytime soon.
What do you think of the man’s behaviour? Tell us in the comments!
🇮🇱♥️
I don’t understand what is so “brutally” about his interruption. I call it courage!
He simply doesn’t want that his attendance on a climate demo is misused by another political agenda. Greta T. is sadly dividing a good cause climate demonstration by adding a divisive topic that has nothing to do with climate change.