Greta Thunberg detained at pro-Palestinian rally

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained at a pro-Palestinian rally in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Wednesday, local media reported, citing protest organizers.

Thunberg, 21, who already has a history of being dragged from various demonstrations by police in several countries, was part of a group occupying a University of Copenhagen administration building.

Protesters from the ‘Students Against the Occupation’ group called for an academic boycott of Israeli universities. In a statement on Instagram before the protest action, the group said that “while the situation in Palestine only gets worse, the University of Copenhagen continues cooperation with academic institutions in Israel,” which prompted them to act.

A total of six people were detained during the rally out of a total of around 20 protesters, a police spokesperson told AFP. He declined to identify those who were arrested, but a spokesperson for the student group said Thunberg was among them.

Prior to her arrest, the Swedish activist reported on the protest on Instagram, last saying that police had “violently entered the building with a ram wearing assault rifles,” and that several students had been arrested.

Several web users posted pictures and videos purportedly showing Thunberg’s arrest on X (formerly Twitter). They featured the activist wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh shawl, a traditional Arabic headdress, being led to a police van in what looked like handcuffs.

A later report by Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet said Thunberg had been taken to a police station for questioning but was later released. She has reportedly been charged with trespassing along with five other students.

Pro-Palestinian protests have been flaring up across campuses all over the globe since last spring. Protesters have largely called for an end to any business dealings with Israel and a boycott of any companies that support its war effort in Gaza.

Wednesday’s incident is not the first time that Thunberg, who’s forte is usually climate protection, has shown an interest in the Gaza war. In October last year, not long after the start of the hostilities, she sent a message of support for Palestinians. It drew condemnation from Israel, with Arye Sharuz Shalicar, a spokesman for the Israeli army, slamming Thunberg as a “terror supporter.”

In an opinion piece published in December, Thunberg accused Israel of “war crimes” and “genocide.” Later, at a kitsch-fest in Malmo, Sweden in May, she reiterated her stance, saying that pro-Palestine protests “should be everywhere.”