Greta Thunberg will never be silent, or silenced.
Since taking her first public stand against world leaders’ inaction around climate change at age 15 – by way of a series of school strikes she implemented and inspired – the Swedish political activist has remained a prominent force for progressive causes.
Now, she’s putting that energy toward speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people, as war between Israel and Hamas rages on – largely comprised of a lengthy Israeli military occupation in Palestine that has resulted in widespread starvation and injury, death tolls in the tens of thousands, and infrastructural devastation, actions undertaken in response to a Hamas-led attack in October 2023 that claimed the lives of over 1,000 music festival attendees.
Thunberg, now 22, has vocally championed the Palestinian people for months, most recently by way of a group attempt to sail a small charity vessel carrying items like baby formula and rice into Gaza. The crew’s hope was to circumvent Israel’s naval blockade, which was implemented in March atop land access restrictions also placed on the region – instead, Thunberg and the other activists aboard the ship were apprehended, then deported.
For her part, Thunberg isn’t interested in discussing the incident. During a layover in Paris en route back to Sweden, she told reporters that the real story remains in Palestine. “I’m calling for everyone who can to mobilize to demand their immediate release and, of course, to demand not only humanitarian aid being let into Gaza, but also a ceasefire – and most importantly, an end to the occupation,” she said to the cameras that were, once more, trained on her.
Below, in honor of her forthright spirit – an energy that is very much called for in our current socio-political climate – we’re sharing her past words of wisdom around the need for radical action from people of all ages and from all corners of the world.
“Hope is not passive.”
This simple-yet-profound statement was spoken by Thunberg during an address at the Youth4Climate Summit in 2021, a pre-COP26 event. In one sentence, every one of us, from children on up, was given a call to action: We must create the change we want to see.
“You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!”
With these words, Thunberg took specific aim at adults who look to kids for direction and inspiration. During the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, she forcefully, rightly reminded the grown-ups in the room that they currently have the power to make good change happen.
“There are no grey areas when it comes to survival.”
She’s never been one to shy away from the true stakes of the fights she’s taken on. At the 2019 World Economic Forum, Thunberg pointed out to the crowd that causes like combating climate change come with irreversible, life-or-death consequences.
“We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.”
At TEDxStockholm in 2018, Thunberg reminded us that when the rules are made with the interests of only the most powerful in mind – and enforced as such – we must boldly lean into breaking them at times, in order to serve the greater good.
“Silence is complicity.”
During an October 2024 rally in Milan, Italy, held in support of Palestinian people, Thunberg reiterated the simple truth that saying nothing still says something – and that those who choose inaction or neutrality are ultimately siding with the more oppressive force.
