On June 9-10, 2023, a photo of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was published by the anonymous Facebook page “Konstantinopol News,” as well as on the Georgian-language Facebook account, Russian-language media and forums. The photo shows Greta Thunberg holding a piece of paper with the inscription “Putin! Stop destroying the Leopards!”
The photo of Greta Thunberg is altered. In the authentic version, the paper features the following inscription: “Let Russia Strike for Climate.” The photo was posted by Thunberg on Twitter in 2019, calling on Russia to join the protests regarding the climate crisis.
The photo of Greta Thunberg is processed by computer software. The original photo was posted on Twitter by the climate activist on May 14, 2019. The caption on the authentic photo reads: “Let Russia Strike for Climate.”
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who launched the FridaysForFuture movement in August 2018 at the age of 15. Thunberg, along with other young activists, protested the government’s inaction against the climate crisis in front of the Swedish parliament for three weeks. She called on young people around the world to join the movement. In September 2018, the hashtag #FridaysForFuture was created, which led to global school strikes to prevent the climate crisis.
It was within the framework of this campaign when Greta Thunberg, with a photo published on Twitter, called on Russia to get involved in the process of solving the problem of climate change. In addition to the published photo, Thunberg asserted that participation in the #schoolstrike4climate campaign is prohibited in some countries, including Russia.
In August 2018, every Friday before the Swedish parliamentary elections, Thunberg skipped school and organized strikes with like-minded youth. While protesting, she always held a banner with the inscription: “School strike for climate.” Her main demand was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the Swedish government in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
Notably, Greta Thunberg became known to the wider public after her speech at the UN Climate Summit on September 23, 2019. Her main message was “We’re watching you,” addressed to world leaders, whom Thunberg urged to respond appropriately to climate change.
About the Sources:
The Facebook user “Nona Sharabidze” regularly publishes posts of pro-Russian content, as well as disinformation (1, 2). Myth Detector has fact-checked a number of false claims voiced by the user.
Anastasia Tsignadze
Myth Detector Lab
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