Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has accused German authorities of silencing protesters after police closed a pro-Palestinian camp in the western city of Dortmund, which Thunberg had planned to visit.
“After almost four months of encampment, the Palestinian student camp in Dortmund was forced by German police to demolish the camp and leave, and the police said they would arrest me if I went there,” Thunberg wrote on X on Wednesday.
“Germany is silencing and threatening activists who speak out against the genocide and occupation in Palestine,” Thunberg said in a video message accompanying the post.
“If you can, please show your support for the student movement and the encampments in Dortmund and wherever people face repression for speaking out against Israel’s genocide and large-scale attacks,” she said, adding: “We will not be silenced. “
German authorities said Tuesday’s decision to close the camp in Dortmund was made over concerns that Thunberg’s appearance could have attracted more people to the camp than originally allowed.
The decision to close the camp came a day after the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, a day marked by numerous pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations across Germany.
In Berlin, demonstrators threw bottles at police, attacked media representatives and chanted anti-Israel slogans during a rally. Thunberg was also present at that demonstration.
On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the radical Islamist group Hamas and other groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took another 250 hostage and abducted them to the Gaza Strip.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military action in the Gaza Strip, Thunberg, who became known worldwide for her “school strike for the climate,” has repeatedly expressed solidarity with the Palestinians and accused Israel of genocide.