German police have closed a pro-Palestinian protest camp that invited Greta Thunberg, an outspoken critic of Israel who accused authorities of silencing activists.
Police pointed to the fact that the Swedish climate activist had attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin on Monday – the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel – which ended in clashes with police.
Police in the western city of Dortmund on Tuesday closed a four-month-old protest camp that had invited the 21-year-old activist.
Police said they had conducted a “risk assessment” and found Thunberg’s visit would have attracted large crowds.
They amended an initial statement by removing a reference to Thunberg as a “potentially violent” activist.
Thunberg protested the measure in a video message on social media site X, speaking with a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf over her shoulders.
She said that after protesters in Dortmund announced the invitation, “the police came and told them to pack up the camp and leave and that I would be arrested if I went there.”
“Germany silences and threatens activists who speak out against the genocide and occupation in Palestine,” she accused.
In an earlier video of the Berlin rally, Thunberg expressed anger at “how Germany and the German police are treating peaceful demonstrators who say no to genocide.”
The rally in Berlin ended with riots with demonstrators throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at police.
Germany, which is struggling to atone for the Holocaust, often emphasizes its strong support for Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
It has also urged Israel to comply with international law in the Gaza conflict and called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
Conservative politician Alexander Throm of the CDU-CSU demanded that Thunberg, one of the founders of the Fridays For Future climate protest movement, be denied entry to the country.
He told the daily Bild that “there is no place in Germany for Jew-haters like Greta Thunberg.”
Throm said the Swede was abusing her fame as a climate activist and called on Fridays for Future “to expressly distance itself from Thunberg.”
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