A year ago today Greta Thunberg appeared in public for the first time in Stockholm. Since then she has become a symbol of climate protection for many young people. But who is this girl? How has she become so popular and gain attention in such a short period of time? Watch two archive programs that take a closer look at Greta and her roots. In August last year Greta Thunberg began demonstrating every Friday in Stockholm in front of the Swedish Parliament for climate protection. In a shorter period of time, Greta -- not least through her speech at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice (Poland) in December 2018 -- has developed into a dazzling heroine for countless young people and was recently even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. With statements like: "I don't want your hope. I want you to panic, I want you to feel the fear I feel every day," the young Swedish woman has stirred up highly emotional debates halfway around the world. How was it possible for Greta Thunberg to become one of the most prominent climate protection activists of our time? The Swiss magazine "Weltwoche" may have an answer to this question. In its fourth issue this year, it published an article entitled, "Wir basteln uns eine Klima-Ikone" ("We are making a climate icon for ourselves"). Here are a few excerpts: "Greta Thunberg became internationally known when she started a "school strike for climate" last August in front of the Swedish seat of government. The photo of a pale girl sitting on the floor with a handwritten sign next to her went around the world in an instant. In just a few months, Greta Thunberg has made a name for herself as a poster girl for climate protection. She has initiated a worldwide movement of young people calling for a school strike for climate protection. It is little known that this movement is the result of a well-organised PR campaign. Behind it, alongside the climate protection company We Don't Have Time, are activists from Extinction Rebellion, an international, radical environmental protection movement. A critical look should not be taken at Greta, but at the forces in her background. Is it really acceptable to use a teenager (who also has the Asperger syndrome, a variant of autism) as a driving force to collect donations and spread left-wing messages? [...] The general public celebrates "Climate-Greta" as a climate protection expert. However, research by critical media has shown that her success is largely due to the Swedish PR expert Ingmar Rentzhog, who has good contacts to several propaganda organisations. [...] At the end of December the (Swedish) magazine Samhällsnytt revealed that Greta had given her speech at the UN climate conference in Katowice in front of empty chairs, while Swedish state television pretended her to have spoken in front of a large number of enthusiastically applauding politicians. Greta's mother Malena Ernman, a well-known soprano, then confirmed on Facebook that environmental activist Bo Thorén had recruited her daughter. Thorén is a member of the board of the environmental association Fossilfritt Dalsland and is a well- known representative of the international environmental movement Extinction Rebellion, which has also been active in Sweden since last fall. With the help of direct actions and civil disobedience, this movement wants to force a climate-friendly policy upon people [...]“ However, a look behind the scenes also shows that Greta Thunberg is by no means the "ordinary pupil from next door" as she is presented to the public. Rather, the politically left-green active Thunbergs are well known in Sweden. Greta is managed by her father, Svante Thunberg, a Swedish actor, producer, author and businessman. Greta's grandfather was also a well-known actor and dubbing artist. Svante Thunberg is also the manager of his wife Malena Ernman, an opera singer not unknown in Sweden, who had previously aspired to a career as a pop star and had hoped for a breakthrough to international fame with her participation in the "European Song Contest" in 2009. This was now awarded to her as "Greta's Mother". It is interesting to note that Greta's mother is a fanatical climate activist who also actively supports immigration and asylum seekers. The Swedish Nobel Prize winner Svante Arrhenius is an ancestor of the allegedly "ordinary schoolgirl" Greta Thunberg. In 1903 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in the chemistry category. Arrhenius is considered a co-founder of the Nobel Foundation and, as its director, had a decisive influence on the awarding of the prize. As early as 1896 Arrhenius was working on a theory to explain ice ages and the influence of CO2 on global warming, which seems to close the circle on Greta Thunberg's fear of climate change. And also her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Greta has developed into a good source of money, also for her parents: the share prices of the two companies "Ernman Produktion AB" and "Northern Grace AB", of which Greta's father is the managing director, have interestingly shot up since Greta's activities. What's also going well is Greta's mother's book entitled "Scener ur hjärtat" ("Scenes from the Heart"). It was presented exactly four days after Greta started her climate strike. This book, now a bestseller, describes Greta and her activities. It also describes that Greta, like her sister, suffers from the Asperger syndrome, a weak form of autism. Asperger patients suffer from a developmental disorder and tend to classify things only in black or white. There are no grey areas. So, it is not surprising that Greta is driven by fear and panic. Although this may drive many young people into action, panic has never been a good guide. So, Greta is virtually made for her intended role and it is almost obvious that Greta is being instrumentalized to push forward or enforce climate protection. In view of all of these backgrounds, who may still believe that an unknown little schoolgirl has come to such fame entirely by chance?
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On 20.08.2018 Greta Thunberg appeared in public for the first time in Stockholm. Since then she has become a symbol of climate protection for many young people. But who is this girl and how did she become so popular in such a short time? [continue reading]