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Greta Thunberg (20) did not speak about climate protection during a demonstration in Amsterdam last weekend, but about the war in the Middle East. For one person, things didn’t go well at all. A man in a bright green jacket quickly rushed onto the stage and briefly grabbed the activist’s microphone.
“I came here for a climate demonstration, not for political views,” he shouted. A scuffle then broke out and the man was taken away by security forces. The scene shows how deeply the Gaza war has divided the climate protection movement.
The man who climbed the podium is called Erjan Dam (65). In an interview with Spiegel, the retired physiotherapist from Geldermalsen, who would not describe himself as a climate activist but often participates in demonstrations, talks about the remarkable incident.
Greta “is not good for the climate protection movement”
“I felt abused – and so did many other participants. We traveled to Amsterdam with about 15 friends and like-minded people from our region especially for this demonstration. But the protest was hardly about climate protection or the environment, but mainly about the Palestinian problem,” says the Dutchman. At first he didn’t notice the guards until they dragged him off the stage. “Then I went straight to the train station,” he says. Would he do it again? He doesn’t know exactly yet on Monday.
Dam wasn’t the only one who hated Greta’s Palestinian focus. “Many listeners were so disappointed that they walked away,” he reports. He has always admired the climate icon, but now he looks at her critically and says: “She is a courageous woman. But if she constantly talks about the conflict in the Middle East instead of climate protection, it does not do the climate protection movement any good.” He adds: “People with different opinions are repelled by such speeches. That hurts the business.” The climate protection movement must focus on its core problem. (no)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
