Greta Thunberg FAKE ARREST conspiracy theories!
Greta Thunberg, celebrity climate activist, has been all over social media posts in her recent participation of a climate protest in Germany. A video of Greta at the protest has been circulating online with different stories attached. People have been asking similar questions on the internet, and even publishing videos to TikTok saying things like “Was Greta Thunberg’s detainment staged?” and “Was Greta Thunberg really arrested in Germany?” So what really happened and how has social media taken the story too far? Check out this video to get you thinking about these big questions.
What’s the tea?
The false claims circulating online is that this video shows a staged arrest where Greta and the officers have waited around purposefully to smile and pose for photographs.
What was the protest and why was Greta involved?
- The protest took place in Western Germany in an abandoned village called LĂĽtzerath.
- Greta and other activists were trying to stop the village from being demolished for the expansion of a coal mine.
Was Greta Thunberg really arrested in Germany?
- German police informed the ±«Óătv that she had not been arrested (as falsely stated online) but was detained.
- Greta’s response on Twitter to the protest: “Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening. Climate protection is not a crime.”
Was Greta Thunberg’s detainment staged?
- Police officers and Greta Thunberg were waiting for logistical reasons not for photo opportunities (as falsely stated online). The local police told ±«Óătv that they had been waiting to take Greta to a particular police car.
The spread of disinformation online
Disinformation is when people deliberately make things up and share them to present their opinions as facts or spread lies about someone. An easy way to remember what disinformation means is when someone creates fake news to DISS another person on purpose.
Greta Thunberg has often been a target for the spread of fake climate news online. This is usually intended by those who deny the existence of man-made climate change and seek to spread DISinformation on public activists figures like Greta.
Make sure you are thinking about why someone might want to DISS a public figure and if we can trust what they are saying. If you need more help understanding how what you see online might not always be what is seems then take a look at our other videos.
Can you spot the BIGGEST fake news stories from January?
Greta Thunberg with two police officers at coal mine protest
