Dutch activist Erjan Dam warns of a split in the climate protection movement. He criticizes the fact that Thunberg constantly talks about the Palestinian issue: “I felt abused – and the same happened to many other participants”.
The Dutch climate activist, who opposed Greta Thunberg at a rally in Amsterdam after she again clearly sided with Palestine in the Gaza war, warns of a split in the climate protection movement. “When Greta Thunberg or other leading activists constantly talk about the Palestine issue, it causes disunity,” Erjan Dam told SPIEGEL in an interview published on Monday night.
“People who disagree are repelled by this type of speech. “This is detrimental to the cause,” Dam continued, demanding: “The climate protection movement must focus on its core issue: climate protection.” In any case, he was disappointed: “I felt abused – and so did many other participants.”
“I didn’t come to hear political opinions”
Dam, a retired physiotherapist who, according to “Spiegel”, has been committed to protecting nature and water for years, stood on stage in front of the cameras on Sunday and shouted into the microphone: “I came here for a climate rally, not because of climate change. their political views.” Thunberg then appealed to attendees to remain calm and then shouted several times: “There is no climate justice on occupied land.” She was obviously referring to the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.
After a similar action last month, Thunberg had already been criticized for not having specifically mentioned the Israeli victims of the Hamas massacre on October 7, which left around 1,200 people dead. According to organizers, around 85,000 people took part in the climate demonstration – making it the largest demonstration of its kind in the Netherlands to date.
“This is about climate protection, not the Middle East”
Dam went on to say in the interview that he has always admired Thunberg. “But if she now constantly talks about Palestine instead of climate protection, that’s not good for the climate protection movement.” Like many others, he “traveled to Amsterdam especially for this demonstration”. But the protest was not about climate protection or the environment, “but mainly about the Palestine problem”.
Speakers on the podium talked constantly about the Middle East – some of them fueled anti-Israel sentiment. “We came to protest for climate protection.” Many listeners were so disappointed that they left. At one point, he took the podium to say “this is about climate protection and not the Middle East”. (APA/dpa)