Greta Thunberg became an international figure in 2018, when she was 15, after launching a school strike in Sweden and criticizing lawmakers over climate change. Her rise was embraced by liberal media, some world leaders and institutions. The University of Winchester even put up a statue of her, while her protest helped inspire the global Fridays for Future movement.
The group says it began in August 2018, when Thunberg and other young activists protested outside Sweden’s parliament during school hours for three weeks.
A documentary released Oct. 28 features Thunberg reacting with laughter after filmmaker Hubertus Koch tells her he is interviewing her on the day of a Fridays for Future demonstration in Berlin.
“Is it?” she says, laughing. “Really? They still do that?” After laughing again, she tells the camera operator to cut.
The clip spread widely online and drew criticism. Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt called the climate movement a “con,” arguing that predictions of imminent disaster had caused fear among young people. He said Thunberg’s laughter made those activists look foolish.
Commentator Rita Panahi also criticized Thunberg, saying she had influenced leaders and alarmed children, only to laugh at the movement she helped inspire.
Thunberg, whose recent activism has focused largely on opposition to Israel, responded to the criticism by describing the context of the interview. She said it took place on the same day activists were blocking a weapons manufacturer and that a police-approved climate demonstration was happening elsewhere in Berlin.
She added that the German climate movement had distanced itself from her after she spoke in support of Palestinians. Thunberg accused Germany of being “detached from reality” and complicit in what she described as genocide, environmental destruction and the climate crisis.
Fridays for Future Germany publicly distanced itself from Thunberg in 2023 over her comments about Gaza. The group has continued holding events in Berlin and elsewhere in Germany during 2026.
