Greta Thunberg brushes off interruption at huge Dutch local weather march days earlier than election

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Local weather activist Greta Thunberg was briefly interrupted Sunday by a person who approached her on stage after she invited a Palestinian and an Afghan girl to talk at a local weather protest within the Dutch capital.

Thunberg was talking to a crowd of tens of hundreds when she invited the ladies onto the stage.

“As a local weather justice motion, we have now to take heed to the voices of those that are being oppressed and those that are combating for freedom and for justice. In any other case, there may be no local weather justice with out worldwide solidarity,” Thunberg stated.

After the Palestinian and Afghan girls spoke and Thunberg resumed her speech, a person got here onto the stage and instructed her: “I’ve come right here for a local weather demonstration, not a political view,” earlier than he was ushered off the stage.

The person’s identification was not instantly clear. He was sporting a jacket with the identify of a gaggle known as Water Natuurlijk that has elected members in Dutch water boards.

The Afghan girl, Sahar Shirzad, instructed The Related Press that Thunberg allowed them to take the stage along with her.

“Principally, she gave her time to us,” she stated.

Earlier than Thunberg took the stage, the occasion was briefly interrupted as a small group of activists on the entrance of the gang waved Palestinian flags and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

She appeared undeterred and was later seen dancing behind the stage as band performed.

The incident got here after tens of hundreds of individuals marched by way of the streets of Amsterdam calling for extra motion to deal with local weather change, in a mass protest simply 10 days earlier than a nationwide election.

Organizers claimed that 70,000 individuals took half within the march and known as it the most important local weather protest ever within the Netherlands.

Thunberg was amongst these strolling by way of the historic coronary heart of the Dutch capital.

Political leaders together with former European Union local weather chief Frans Timmermans, who now leads a center-left, two-party bloc within the election marketing campaign, later addressed the gang gathered on a sq. behind the landmark Rijksmuseum.

“We reside in a time of crises, all of that are the results of the political decisions which were made. It must be executed and it may be executed in a different way,” organizer the Local weather Disaster Coalition stated in a press release.

Whereas the coalition included the Fridays for Future youth motion, protesters have been all ages and included a big contingent of medics in white coats carrying a banner emblazoned with the textual content: “Local weather disaster = well being disaster.”

“I’m a pediatrician. I’m right here standing up for the rights of kids,” stated Laura Sonneveld. “Youngsters are the primary to be affected by local weather change.”

Tackling local weather change is without doubt one of the key coverage areas for political events contesting the Nov. 22 normal election.

“It’s time for us to protest about authorities choices,” stated Margje Weijs, a Spanish trainer and youth coach. “I hope this influences the election.”

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Comply with AP’s local weather protection at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment