The climate activist was detained after joining demonstrators in a protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza, demanding an academic boycott.
Greta Thunberg, the renowned climate activist, was arrested on Wednesday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Copenhagen. Thunberg, alongside other protesters, attempted to block access to one of the university’s buildings to voice opposition to Israeli policies in Gaza. The group called for the university to cease its collaborations with Israeli academic institutions.
Thunberg’s arrest, along with five other individuals, followed shortly after she shared a video on Instagram where she stood outside the university’s administration building with members of “Students Against the Occupation.” In the post, she explained that the group’s three-year campaign for an academic boycott of Israel had been ignored by the university, leading them to escalate their protests.
The demonstration, involving around 20 participants, saw three individuals manage to enter the building while the others barricaded its entrance. The “Students Against the Occupation” group also posted on social media, indicating they had occupied a museum within the university’s grounds and vowed not to leave until the university ended its cooperation with Israeli universities.
Since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas attacks on October 7, Thunberg has used her platform to express solidarity with Palestinians and encourage protests against Israel. She has shared posts advocating for the Palestinian cause and was seen holding signs that read “Stand With Gaza.” However, her activism has not addressed the over 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas on October 7.
In the weeks following the attacks, Thunberg made statements linking her environmental activism to the situation, saying that “there is no climate justice on occupied land” and calling to “crush Zionism.” Earlier in the year, she also joined pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Malmö, Sweden, where protesters called for an end to Israel’s actions in Gaza and prevented the Israeli representative, Eden Golan, from participating in the Eurovision competition.
Thunberg’s ongoing involvement in these demonstrations has attracted both support and criticism, as her stance on the conflict continues to spark controversy.
(Associated Medias) – All rights reserved
