Greta Thunberg laughs at Fridays for Future protests in Koch documentary clip

A laugh in Berlin

A scene from a documentary by Hubertus Koch shows Greta Thunberg, 23, laughing when told that Fridays for Future was holding a climate protest in Berlin that day. The film, Auf Panzern in die Klimakrise, runs about 90 minutes according to Die Welt, and Koch says it traces the recent years of the climate movement. The opening conversation takes place in Berlin, where Thunberg invites Koch into her shared flat and meets friends in a Palestinian cafe. When Koch points out the symbolism of their meeting falling on a day of Fridays for Future marches, Thunberg asks whether the group is still doing this and bursts into laughter. Her two companions, Judith Scheytt and the journalist Hebh Jamal, laugh along. Koch calls the exchange a joke, and Thunberg is heard calling 'cut' toward the camera.

Online reaction

The clip spread on X and YouTube after it was shared. Some users read it as Thunberg mocking other climate activists, according to Spiegel Online. Others argue the excerpt is taken out of context and that the online debate discredits her. The clip alone does not show whether the laugh was a response to the comedy of the situation. The full film gives Thunberg several chances to describe how she sees the climate movement's development over recent years.

From founder to critic

Thunberg started the movement in 2018, aged 15, by skipping school on Fridays to protest outside the Swedish parliament. Since 7 October 2023, according to Blick, she has openly backed the Palestinian cause, and the German branch of Fridays for Future distanced itself from her that same year. Spiegel Online reports that she accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza and has taken part in several anti-Israeli rallies, and that critics describe some of her statements and actions as antisemitic. Adnkronos reports that she joined a flotilla which the Israeli navy intercepted, ending with her expulsion from the country.

Protests go on

Luisa Neubauer, the best-known face of Fridays for Future in Germany, responded calmly to the controversy in an interview with Welt TV. She stressed that the group stays focused on the causes it must fight for. Libertatea reports that protests continue on Friday, 13 November, in about 70 German cities.

Speech at COP31 in Antalya

Blick reports that Thunberg had not attended a UN climate conference since 2021 before appearing at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey. Spiegel Online reports her saying that world leaders are completely detached from reality while irreplaceable lives, ecosystems and species are being lost. Adnkronos reports her saying the planet is not dying but being killed by people who were expected to help, and that no one would come to its rescue. Libertatea also reports that she called for an oil embargo against Israel, arguing that oil deliveries fuel genocide against Palestinians, a call that drew reactions.