In a post on a Twitter account on January 18, 2023, it was claimed that Greta Thunberg’s detention in Germany was fictional.
Was Greta’s Arrest “Theatre”?
In the claims shared with the video that spread rapidly on social media, the moments when the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was with the police were shared, while it was stated that the moments of her detention were “theatre” and “fiction”. The video shows Thunberg cooperating with the police and even smiling calmly.
Greta Thunberg made headlines on January 17, 2023, when she protested the controversial expansion of a coal mine near the German village of Lützerath that would lead to the village’s destruction. Photos and videos show the German police detaining and transferring him.
German police told Reuters that Thunberg was not arrested, but was briefly detained and released after an identity check. Police also told Reuters, “Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who ran towards the edge of the mine. However, she was later stopped and taken out of the immediate danger zone with this group to identify them.”
After Thunberg’s detention was allegedly fictional, German police denied the situation. The interior ministry of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia told the BBC that police officers and Thunberg were waiting for logistical reasons. A spokesperson said: “They had to wait a few minutes before taking him to a particular police car. This incident was distorted by those with political motives, but the root cause of the situation is purely practical and mundane.” summarized as.
Journalist Christian Wernicke of the German news outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung, who was present at the time of the incident, said that the police officers “decided how to do the identity check and were waiting to take Greta to the police car”. “My impression was that there was confusion at the time. Greta was not the first protester to be suspended from the sit-in,” Wernicke said. added.
Claim FALSE
In a post on a Twitter account, it was claimed that Greta Thunberg’s detention in Germany on January 17, 2023 was fictional. Police said in a statement that Thunberg was not arrested, but was detained and released after an identity check. German police also denied allegations that the arrest was “fiction”, while the state interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia told the BBC that police officers and Thunberg were waiting for logistical reasons. Journalist Christian Wernicke from the German news organization Süddeutsche Zeitung, who was present at the time of the incident, also stated that the police officers “decided how to do the identity check and were waiting to take Greta to the police car”.
