Scandal at climate demo: organizers distance themselves
Following the outrage over the speech by a Palestine activist at a climate protection rally in Amsterdam, the organizers of the demonstration have distanced themselves. The woman took the microphone on Sunday without prior consultation, a spokesperson told the German Press Agency on Monday.
The activist had taken the microphone on stage from Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and shouted that Israel's military was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Many people reacted with outrage.
According to the police, a good 85,000 people took part in the climate march. This made it the largest climate demonstration ever held in the Netherlands. Thunberg was one of the official speakers and also took sides with the Palestinians against the backdrop of the Gaza war.
Activist Sara Rachdan confirmed on Instagram on Monday that she had not been invited to speak. She also explained that she had not known Thunberg beforehand. She was given access to the podium and the microphone via another speaker - but the organizers initially stopped this. However, Thunberg then gave her the opportunity to talk about the situation in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli troops have been fighting the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas for over a month.
Rachdan is currently doing her doctorate at the Faculty of Medicine in Amsterdam. She recently called for protests against Israel in online media. Just two days after the massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas, she said on Instagram: "It's not about Hamas, it's about the Palestinian resistance. Finally the Palestinians are taking action against the occupation." She also repeatedly compared Israel's violence to the Holocaust, the murder of millions of European Jews by German National Socialists.
The controversy at the climate rally sparked additional conflicts within the environmental activist community. Amidst the climate change debates, demonstrations calling for Palestinian rights also surfaced.
Source: www.dpa.com
