Various climate groups have marched in solidarity with Palestine - though some are divided on how to address the conflict.
ADVERTISEMENTClimate activist Greta Thunberg was briefly interrupted on Sunday by a man who approached her on stage after she invited a Palestinian and an Afghan woman to speak at a climate protest in Amsterdam.
Thunberg was speaking to a crowd of tens of thousands when she invited the women onto the stage.
“As a climate justice movement, we have to listen to the voices of those who are being oppressed and those who are fighting for freedom and for justice. Otherwise, there can be no climate justice without international solidarity,” Thunberg said.
After the Palestinian and Afghan women spoke and Thunberg resumed her speech, a man came onto the stage and told her: “I have come here for a climate demonstration, not a political view,” before he was ushered off the stage.
Thunberg wrestled the mic back off the man, told him to "calm down", then joined the crowd in chanting: "No climate justice on occupied land".
Who interrupted Greta Thunberg on stage?
The man's identity was not immediately clear. He was wearing a jacket with the name of a group called Water Natuurlijk that has elected members in Dutch water boards.
The Afghan woman, Sahar Shirzad, told news agency The Associated Press that Thunberg allowed them to take the stage with her.
“Basically, she gave her time to us,” she said.
Before Thunberg took the stage, the event was briefly interrupted as a small group of activists at the front of the crowd waved Palestinian flags and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.
She appeared undeterred and was later seen dancing behind the stage as band played.
The Netherlands' biggest ever climate protest
The incident came after tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Amsterdam calling for more action to tackle climate change, in a mass protest just 10 days before a national election.
Organisers claimed that 70,000 people took part in the march and called it the biggest climate protest ever in the Netherlands.
Thunberg was among those walking through the historic heart of the Dutch capital.
Political leaders including former European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans, who now leads a centre-left, two-party bloc in the election campaign, later addressed the crowd gathered on a square behind the landmark Rijksmuseum.
"We live in a time of crises, all of which are the result of the political choices that have been made. It has to be done and it can be done differently,” organisers of the Climate Crisis Coalition said in a statement.
While the coalition included the Fridays for Future youth movement, protesters were all ages and included a large contingent of medics in white coats carrying a banner emblazoned with the text: “Climate crisis = health crisis.”
“I am a paediatrician. I’m here standing up for the rights of children," said Laura Sonneveld. “Children are the first to be affected by climate change.”
Tackling climate change is one of the key policy areas for political parties contesting the 22 November general election.
ADVERTISEMENT“It is time for us to protest about government decisions," said Margje Weijs, a Spanish teacher and youth coach. “I hope this influences the election."
How have other climate groups responded to the Israel-Hamas war?
This isn't the first time climate protesters have spoken out for Palestine since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last month - though groups are divided on how to approach the issue.
On 23 October, 19 activists from environmental movement Extinction Rebellion were detained following a protest at The Hague. Protesters held signs stating Israeli PM Benjamin "Netanyahu is a war criminal” and demanded the Dutch government halt military cooperation with Israel.
Thunberg has also posted extensively on social media in solidarity with Palestine, while also condemning antisemitism.
Fridays for Future Sweden has also dedicated recent climate strikes to demanding a ceasefire, protecting civilians and providing humanitarian aid in Palestine. In a post on X on 26 October, they said "We condemn all war crimes against civilians carried out by both Israel and Hamas."
ADVERTISEMENTWhile also condemning violence on both sides, Germany's arm of Fridays for Future has particularly expressed solidarity with Jewish victims of Hamas's attacks. The group, which has locked horns with the global organisation over its stance on Israel in the past, has distanced itself from criticising the country's actions.
