Greta Thunberg (klimataktivist)

Instead of this naive optimism and energy, I see a young man who is already defeated. He already believes he’s dead. He is not screaming because he’s a brat. He’s screaming because he genuinely believes the end of the world is nigh. And that’s not his fault.

After all, what is he supposed to think? Every time he turns on the tv he hears adults who sell themselves as the ultimate authorities telling him that the world will end in 12 years if we don’t sign some papers, minorities are mere days away from being enslaved and Trump is Literally Hitler™. Like poor little Greta, how can a young person be raised with every adult they look up to telling them their future will be short and not be freaked out?

Greta Thunberg framställs i medierna hela tiden som det lilla barnet som ensamt kämpar för klimatet, som bär upp världens klimatansvar på sina späda axlar och som har gjort allt detta utan någon hjälp utifrån. Denna bild är naturligtvis maximalt medial: den lilla djupt engagerade flickan med långa flätor och blåa gymnastikskor som ensam slåss mot makter som är oändligt mycket starkare än hon. Om hon själv vill beskrivas på det sättet vet jag däremot inte.

Om man bortser från Gretas föräldrar, den världsberömda mezzosopranen Malena Ernman och skådespelaren Svante Thunberg, så är den förste utomstående person som började promota Greta en helt okänd man vid namn Bo Thorén.

Benjamin Wagner:

"It was a new thing for me, being seen by so many people. I had no history of activism. The number of people varied. At times it was just me and Greta, but every day more people joined in for a while. I felt like giving up on several occasions. It was uncomfortable; sometimes it was cold and raining, and I felt my friends would think I was ridiculous.

After three weeks of protesting, and following the election on 9 September, Greta reduced the protest to Fridays only. It was a long-term project and not everyone can go on strike every day. I did not follow Greta for a while after our protest ended. Actually, I tried not to think about the climate crisis. But then I started to see it everywhere in the papers. Even my mother started to talk about it.

I moved from Stockholm to Gothenburg in October 2018, to study fine art. Most recently, I have been involved in direct action against a new natural gas infrastructure. In September this year we blocked trucks from accessing the entrance to the harbour. The company, Swedegas, had invested a lot of money and got building permission. But last month the government stopped it. It showed again that activism matters."

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/26/ringside-seat-on-decade-with-greta-thunberg-first-protest

Men det var ingen slump att Ingmar Rentzhog passerade Mynttorget den dagen. Han kände nämligen Gretas mamma sedan flera månader tillbaka. De hade träffats på ett klimatseminarium i Stockholm den 4 maj samma år där Rentzhog var en av talarna.

Dessutom hade Bo Thorén redan tidigare informerat Ingmar Rentzhog om Greta Thunbergs planerade skolstrejk. Så PR-mannen Rentzhog visste vad han gjorde när han ”råkade” stöta på Greta på Mynttorget den där måndagen.