Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in Germany after she and several other protestors rallied against the knockdown of a village to expand a coal mine.
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On January 17, the 20-year-old was among several people who raised their voices against the action at different locations in western Germany.
Now, however, a behind-the-scenes video featuring Thunberg smiling after being detained has started making rounds on social media, prompting several people to dub the activist’s arrest a “publicity stunt.”
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In the video, the activist can be seen smiling and posing with the German police while a cameraman takes a picture of her in an arrested state. At one point, she can also be seen laughing while nodding her head, indicating a no in response to someone’s (possibly an officer’s) question.
Netizens were left shocked after the behind-the-scenes video of Greta Thunberg went viral. Several users slammed the activist for pulling off a “publicity stunt” for the sake of attention.
Others criticized Thunberg for using a Nike fanny pack which was manufactured in China and mocked her by asking how much she is getting paid for the gig.
Why was Greta Thunberg arrested?
Greta Thunberg was among several other protesters in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia who resumed anti-mining protests against the expansion of a nearby coal tunnel that would lead to the demolition of the village of Luetzerath.
This is actually the second time that the climate activist, who joined the movement on January 14, has been interjected by the German authorities this week.
The local police force revealed that Thunberg was a part of the protest group that “stormed” towards the edge of the coal mine, which according to them is “steep and extremely dangerous.”
German authorities also stated that Thunberg was not arrested but rather escorted along with other protestors for identification. They also confirmed that she was released soon after.
The protests come after the German government, in 2022, negotiated an agreement with energy firm RWE, enabling it to demolish Luetzerath in exchange for phasing out coal consumption by 2030 instead of 2038.
Both claim that coal is necessary to safeguard Germany’s energy security, which has been compromised by the cutoff of Russian gas due to its conflict with Ukraine.
However, environmentalists state that demolishing the village will lead to a vast amount of greenhouse gas emissions, meaning the country might miss its climate targets for the second time since it was promised.