Climate activist Greta Thunberg has continually engaged in a series of protests aiming to disrupt oil tankers’ operations, and on Monday evening she was escorted away by police. This five-day protest, led by Thunberg and members of Take Back the Future, saw the activist attempt to stop the transportation of oil by sitting in the middle of the road. Despite the effort, it appears this attempt was unsuccessful despite Take Back the Future providing updates throughout the demonstration.
Despite her efforts, some have criticised Thunberg’s tactics for her campaign against climate change. Her detainment by German police while protesting a coal mine expansion in January and her inactivity during a Swedish’s government’s climate meeting days ago have also drawn criticism.
The 20-year-old faced further criticism in March after deleting a tweet from five years ago which indicated that humans would go extinct if fossil fuels were still being used in 2023. This sentiment has caused some to question Thunberg’s actual motives for her climate activism.
In January, Thunberg was one of many protesters carried away by police while protesting the demolition of an abandoned village for the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. Thunberg, a self-proclaimed “autistic climate justice advocate,” has spent many years in the public eye warning about climate change.
After video emerged of police detaining her, some Twitter users claimed the arrest was staged while others compared it to when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was arrested protesting abortion rights.
“LMFAO Greta literally staged being arrested for the cameras,” senior digital strategist Greg Price at X Strategies LLC tweeted.
LMFAO Greta literally staged being arrested for the cameras.
pic.twitter.com/qGNurU0lrO— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 17, 2023
Journalist Andy Ngo gave a grim description of the protest as a whole, suggesting it had been rife with left-wing violence.
“At the autonomous zone in #Luetzerath, Germany by militant leftists, #Antifa & climate extremists, Antifa surrounded and attacked journalists,” he wrote. “The violent occupation has been praised by leftists & Greta Thunberg for stopping a coal mine expansion.”
At the autonomous zone in #Luetzerath, Germany by militant leftists, #Antifa & climate extremists, Antifa surrounded and attacked journalists. The violent occupation has been praised by leftists & Greta Thunberg for stopping a coal mine expansion. pic.twitter.com/MuSAVJZ81C
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 15, 2023
Thunberg is well known for her theatrical performances. I don’t think anyone has forgotten the spoiled activist taking an ‘eco-friendly boat’ to the US only to use filthy fossil fuels to fly home.