January 1, Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Accused of Staging ‘Fake Arrest’

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was hauled off by German police during a protest — but the now-viral footage has sparked accusations of a “fake arrest.”

Thunberg, 20, and other activists were protesting the demolition of a village in western Germany for the expansion of a coal mine. She and other protesters broke through a police barrier and encroached on an unsecured coal pit, according to police spokesperson Christof Hüls.

Thunberg was released from police detention after an identity check, Reuters reported.

Video clips made the rounds on social media, showing Thunberg standing in handcuffs with a group of German officers before being carried away from the coal mine. One clip from the Catch Up Network shows Thunberg laughing with police and posing for a photo.

“Yes, the Greta Thunberg arrest was staged for the establishment media,” the Catch Up Network wrote alongside the video.

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, also alleged that Thunberg’s arrest was staged.

“So, it turns out Greta Thunberg’s arrest was as fake as the climate change cult she works for,” Kirk wrote on Twitter.

Conservative political commentator Tim Young tweeted: “Nothing says climate change is a total grift quite like Greta Thunberg staging her own fake arrest.”

German officials deny the accusations

German police have denied the claims that Thunberg’s detainment was staged. A spokesperson told the BBC: “We would never give ourselves to make such recordings.”

When asked about why officers and Thunberg were seemingly waiting around for a photo-op, the interior ministry of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia cited logistical reasons, the BBC reported.

“They had to wait for a couple of minutes before they could bring her to a certain police car,” the spokesperson said, adding that “the whole situation has been used by those with political motives and the real reason is entirely practical and mundane.”

Thunberg tweeted: “Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening. Climate protection is not a crime.”

Sources: Newsweek | BBC