Greta Thunberg accuses herself of her octopus plush toy after being accused of anti-Semitism

Social networking sites – A photo was deleted only 6 hours after it was published. Climate activist Greta Thunberg posted a message of support for the Palestinians on Friday, October 20, on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, sparking widespread outrage. In question, a blue octopus-shaped stuffed animal.

In the photo, Al-Suwaidi stands next to three other activists and holds a banner “Stand with Gaza” A sign of support for residents of the Palestinian Strip, which was targeted by Israeli bombing in response to the deadly attack carried out by Hamas on October 7.

While Gaza recorded more than 4,100 dead and 13,100 wounded yesterday, the young woman devoted her usual climate strike on Friday to the Palestinian cause. “Today we strike in solidarity with Palestine and Gaza.”“, she wrote in the caption of her post. “The world must speak out and call for an immediate ceasefire and justice and freedom for Palestinians and all affected civilians.”

Problem: In the picture, just above his shoulder, is a small blue plush toy, shaped like an octopus or octopus, As you can see below.

Many Internet users saw this as a reference to Nazi propaganda, whose relays were able to use the blue octopus symbol in the 1930s. The animal appears most notably in an anti-Semitic drawing by designer Joseph Blanc, known as Cipla, where it is supposed to represent the extent and danger of the Jewish population, with multiple tentacles.

“I learned that the stuffed animal in my previous post could be interpreted as a symbol of anti-Semitism, which I was completely unaware of.” Greta Thunberg confirmed. “We of course oppose any kind of discrimination and condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms. This is non-negotiable. That’s why I deleted the last post », she noted a few hours after her first post. A new photo was posted, this time without the stuffed animal.

The official account of Israel responds to the controversy

The activist also gave an explanation about his stuffed animal. “The toy in the picture is a tool that people with autism often use to express their feelings.”She pointed out. In fact, this little stuffed toy, which has become particularly popular on TikTok, is used to express emotions: it’s reversible and can display a smiley face on one side and a sad face on the other. Greta Thunberg suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism disorder.

But this explanation was not enough to ease tensions, as evidenced by the response of human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky: “You say you are against anti-Semitism, but you cannot utter a single word to condemn Hamas or express solidarity with the 1,400 people – including children – slaughtered by Hamas. You have a platform. Use it responsibly.”

What’s more, the official Israeli account responded to Greta Thunberg’s tweet, expressing its regret for not condemning Hamas: “Hamas does not use durable materials for its rockets that have killed innocent Israelis. The victims of the Hamas massacre could have been your friends.”

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