Greta Thunberg: Some climate protests may do more harm than good
Greta Thunberg has said the methods used by some climate activists have gone too far, suggesting they could do more harm than good for public opinion.
The teenage activist said she was concerned that groups may sometimes alienate rather than drive home meaningful change when they take action.
“The climate movement has a lot of diffuerent people. Most people are just genuinely worried about the future of humanity and want to do everything they can,” Thunberg told the BBC Two’s Amol Rajan Interviews.
“Of course, there are some instances where, I mean, the methods that some people have been using are very questionable and maybe do more harm than good. If people are harmed, of course, that has gone too far,” she added.
Her comments come as campaign group Just Stop Oil continue their first two weeks of action.
In the early hours of yesterday morning, two activists climbed to the top of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, forcing police to close the M25 Dartford Crossing.
Just Stop Oil said its action was part of a wider protest against new government oil and gas licences, as well as its ongoing inaction against the cost of living crisis.
The Conservative MP for Dartford, Gareth Johnson, said it was “wrong” for the protestors to “impose their views” on people trying to commute on Monday.
“I totally deplore this action which is yet again causing traffic misery to people in and around Dartford,” he said.
“It is yet another example of how utterly selfish these protesters are.”
Just Stop Oil was also responsible for a protest at the National Gallery last Friday, which saw two cans of Heinz soup thrown at Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting.
Van Gogh’s masterpiece has an estimated worth of $84.2m.
The group said more than 450 supporters have been arrested during the last two weeks, which has also seen activists gluing themselves to roads.
Action by Just Stop Oil is expected to last for more than a month, with the aim of causing “continuous disruption”.