Politics

Photo of Greta Thunberg Wearing an ‘Antifascist’ T-Shirt Resurfaces

As the media spotlight shines on Greta Thunberg, a photo showing the 16-year-old climate change activist decked out in an “antifascist” T-shirt has resurfaced.

The photo first received attention when Thunberg posted it to Twitter in late July. The day after sharing the photo, the Swedish teen responded to backlash from commenters linking support of antifascist movements to violence.

“Yesterday I posted a photo wearing a borrowed T-shirt that says I’m against fascism. That T-shirt can apparently to some be linked to a violent movement,” she tweeted.

MORE: Greta Thunberg Fans Beg Twitter Not to Turn Her Into a Meme: ‘She’s Too Pure for This Life’

Thunberg continued by revealing she’d removed the photo showing her wearing the shirt, with the slogan “Antifascist All-Stars.”

“I don’t support any form of violence and to avoid misunderstandings I’ve deleted the post. And of course I am against fascism,” she said.

Thunberg addressed the controversy in a July interview with CBS News, reiterating that she rejects violence.

“You can rebel in different ways. Civil disobedience is rebelling. As long as it’s peaceful, of course,” she told the outlet.

Commenters wonder if Greta Thunberg supports antifa

In the wake of Thunberg’s headline-making address to world leaders at a United Nations summit on Monday, the photo began making the rounds again. As did images showing her parents wearing the T-shirts.

Many right-leaning social media commenters criticized Thunberg, accusing her of supporting antifa, the militant anti-fascist movement that, in the United States, has at times turned to violence in furtherance of its goals.

Antifascist movements in Sweden

A 2014 Vice News video report on militant socialists and antifascist groups in Sweden showed far-left protesters attacking members of a far-right group.

The Vice News report also showed members of Sweden’s far-left Revolutionary Front smashing the home of a suspected fascist. The Revolutionary Front dissolved in Sept. 2015.

MORE: Trump’s ‘Hilarious’ Reaction to Teen Climate Activist’s Rant Goes Viral

In 2011, the Stockholm faction of global antifascist collective Antifascist Action, admitted that its members had violently attacked a far-right newspaper editor.

This post was last modified on November 30, 2019 10:34 am

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