Greta Thunberg: Right wing French MPs insult and boycott teenage climate activist

(The Independent, 24 Jul 2019) ‘We do not need gurus of the apocalypse,’ says conservative politician.

Right-wing politicians in France mocked the 16-year-old climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg as a “guru of the apocalypse” before boycotting her appearance in the French parliament.

Legislators from the conservative Les Republicains and far-right Rassemblement National parties refused to attend the session and hurled a series of insults at the teenager – calling her the “Joan of Arc of climate change”, the “Justin Bieber of ecology” and a “prophetess in shorts”.

The Swedish activist, who has inspired a global network of young climate protesters, responded to the cynicism when she spoke at a parliamentary committee meeting.

“Some people have chosen not to come here today, some have chosen not to listen to us and that is fine, we are after all just children, you don’t have to listen to us. But you do have to listen to the scientists, that is all we ask,” she said.

Thunberg organised a school strike climate protest outside the Swedish parliament last August. The “Fridays for Future” walkout movement has since spread to more than 100 countries, involving millions of young people.

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The Independent, 24 Jul 2019: Greta Thunberg: Right wing French MPs insult and boycott teenage climate activist