The demand for separation from the international movement followed Thunberg’s anti-Semitic positioning.
On October 20th, Greta Thunberg called for a strike on her social media. But instead of the usual “Fridays For Future” slogans, “Free Palestine” and “Stand With Gaza” were written on the self-made signs. While the climate activist calls for “solidarity with Palestine, an immediate ceasefire, justice and freedom for the Palestinians and all affected civilians” in her post, she doesn’t mention Israel’s numerous deaths.
Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, is now calling on the German “Fridays For Future” branch to distance itself from the international movement. “I expect a real decoupling from Luisa Neubauer and Fridays for Future Germany, a change of name of the organization and the breaking off of all contacts with Fridays for Future International,” Schuster told the “BILD” newspaper. In his opinion, one can only expect “crude distortion of history, demonization of Israel and now conspiracy ideology” from the international movement. Schuster is referring to the organization’s belief that the Western media spreads false information and is “financed by imperialist governments that back Israel.”
“Fridays For Future Germany” not only posted a clear separation from the international organization on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, Luisa Neubauer was also part of the solidarity demonstration for Israel on October 22nd and took a strong stance against anti-Semitism. The President of the Central Council of Jews also refers to this: “If Luisa Neubauer is serious about her words from the Brandenburg Gate, where she was horrified by global anti-Semitism and also emphasized Germany’s special responsibility for Israel, then she must finally renounce it organization,” says Schuster. “And that doesn’t just mean with words or flimsy explanations about how little we have to do with each other.”
Josef Schuster is not the only politician who calls for a clear separation of the German movement from the international “Fridays For Future” organization. Marcel Emmerich, the Green Party leader in the Bundestag’s Interior Committee, also takes a stand against “Welt”. “While Fridays for Future in Germany has repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism and has also taken a clear stand in this case, the international movement is spreading the worst anti-Semitic conspiracy theories against the media that can only make things worse,” said the politician. The SPD and FDP as well as the Union and AfD are also calling for “a very clear and unmistakable distancing and reprimand from Fridays For Future in Germany”.
At the beginning of 2023, Greta Thunberg made headlines with allegations of anti-Semitism. “Fridays For Future International” called for an intifada against the “apartheid state” of Israel – even before the Hamas attack on Israel in October. The Intifada refers to two waves of Palestinian uprisings against Israel. In both the first wave from 1987 to 1993 and the second from 2000 to 2005, it was primarily Israeli civilians who were killed.