Israeli officials accused Greta Thunberg of being a “supporter of terrorism” after writing a pro-Palestinian post on social media that she later deleted.
Thunberg posted a photo of herself holding a sign that said “support Gaza,” and next to her, she had three friends who also held signs that said “free Palestine” and “in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza.” Additionally, the photograph shows a toy octopus, a symbol associated with antisemitic propaganda since it was used in a Nazi-era cartoon.
The activist deleted the post after stating that she had no idea that the octopus was a symbol of antisemitism and argued that it is a toy that autistic people use to express their feelings.
“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,” she said.
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
“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,” she insisted.
But her publication did not cause outrage because of the octopus but rather because Thunberg only spoke of defending Palestine without mentioning that what is happening arose from attacks by the terrorist group Hamas against the people of Israel.
“Whoever identifies with Greta in any way in the future, in my view, is a terror supporter,” Arye Sharuz Shalicar, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, told Politico.
“Because what Greta is doing, that she is now showing solidarity with Gaza while not saying a word about the massacres of Israelis, shows that she is actually not in favor of the Palestinians, but that she is sweeping the terror of the Palestinians or Hamas and Islamic Jihad under the table as if it did not exist,” she insisted.
Sharuz Shalicar later apologized for his comments about Thunberg’s supporters: “I spoke out of a deep sense of pain and my words do not reflect my personal views or those of the IDF.”
Other officials also criticized Thunberg: “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.” wrote Israeli diplomat Dana Filber.
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.— Dana Filber (@DanaFilber) October 20, 2023
Thunberg has also shared a post on her Instagram account from a pro-Palestinian account based in Germany that says a “genocide” is occurring in Gaza.
