Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg announced to the world where she stands with regard to the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which was sparked two weeks ago by a heinous surprise terror campaign murderously waged against predominately Israeli civilians.
Thunberg revealed that she has allied herself with Hamas in opposition to Israel by calling for a "strike in solidarity" with Palestinians in Gaza and an "immediate ceasefire" to halt Israel's military response to the egregious atrocities committed by the known terrorist organization that controls Gaza, according to Breitbart.
She also posted and then deleted -- following intense blowback -- an older but still fairly well-known antisemitic trope that compares Jews to a particular animal.
Thunberg posted Friday morning a picture of herself with three fellow leftist activists displaying their support for Palestinians in Gaza with a caption that included several trending hashtags and said, "Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected."
In the photo, Thunberg holds a sign that reads "Stand with Gaza" while her friends held signs that declared "Free Palestine," "This Jew stands with Palestine," and "Climate Justice Now!!"
Week 270. Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza. The world needs to speak up and call for an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for Palestinians and all civilians affected.#FreePalestine #IStandWithPalestine #StandWithGaza #FridaysForFuture
Thread🧵 pic.twitter.com/0hVtya0yWO— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) October 20, 2023
That post was actually Thunberg's second posting of the photo after she had deleted under fierce criticism an initial post of a similar picture that also included an antisemitic trope, The Messenger reported.
The first photo featured a wider view of the four activists and their signs and also included a small stuffed animal balanced on one of their knees -- a frowning blue octopus.
According to the Antisemitism Policy Trust, "The Octopus is a common antisemitic image found in anti-Jewish images and cartoons, representing the antisemitic canard of Jewish control."
"The image of an octopus, with its tentacles wrapped around the world, or penetrating the globe, is an antisemitic representation of this canard," the group added. "The Octopus is comparable to the puppet master, pulling the strings of control, an image also used to portray this antisemitic canard."
The Messenger reported that in response to pushback received over the inclusion of the stuffed octopus in the first photo Thunberg posted, she deleted it and then reposted a similar but cropped photo that cut out the octopus balanced on her friend's knee along with a claim of ignorance about the antisemitic meaning behind it.
"It has come to my knowledge that the stuffed animal shown in my earlier post can be interpreted as a symbol for antisemitism, which I was completely unaware of. The toy in the picture is a tool often used by autistic people as a way to communicate feelings," she wrote. "We are of course against any type of discrimination, and condemn antisemitism in all forms and shapes. This is non-negotiable. That is why I deleted the last post."
That didn't save her from continuing to be called out over the display of antisemitism, according to the New York Post, as Israeli diplomat Dana Filber posted in response to Thunberg's explanation, "It is not the octopus that makes this all tweet feel very antisemitic ..... It is the completely denial of torturing, raping, beheading, and kidnapping thousands of Israelis. The octopus is the least of your problems, trust me."
Among many other negative replies to Thunberg's excuse about the octopus, human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky scolded, "That should be the least of your concerns. You say you are against antisemitism, yet you can’t say a word to condemn Hamas or express solidarity for the 1,400 people -- including children -- they have slaughtered. You have a platform. Use it responsibly."
