EDITORIAL: Greta sticks her oar into Gaza

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Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is a one-woman outrage machine, huffing and puffing from one cause to another in her mission to solve the world’s problems with performative photo-ops.  

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Once, she was the cute teenager with braids and a funny hat who persuaded fellow students to walk out of school and demand more action on climate change.  She made a name for herself with her “How dare you?” question to world leaders. Turns out it doesn’t take a whole lot of persuasion to convince youngsters to skip school and Thunberg quickly held sway over many kids of her generation.  

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Now she’s all grown up at 22. Having presumably solved the climate crisis, she’s now moved on to bigger and even more controversial matters. Her Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Barcelona, Spain, earlier this month, carrying relief supplies for Gaza.  

It immediately hit a storm of controversy. There have been unverified reports of drone attacks on the boats. There are complaints that Israeli forces have jammed their radio and blasted them constantly with Abba music. If so, we seem to have entered a whole new world of warfare.  

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Will Canada’s enemies in the future assail our ears with endless rounds of Justin Bieber and Celine Dion? Should we surrender now?  

More seriously, Thunberg is sailing in dangerous waters. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to indicate a deal was near to end the Gaza war and secure the release of the Israeli hostages. That underscores how foolish and dangerous Thunberg’s stunt is.  

At a time when delicate negotiations are underway and when every movement in the area can be seen as a provocation, it’s an act of unspeakable foolishness for Thunberg to invite confrontation with one side of the conflict.  

The Italian government offered to take Thunberg’s aid and have the Vatican deliver it to Palestinians on her behalf. She turned it down. That indicates not so much a determination to help Gaza as a firm resolve to keep herself front and centre for photo-ops.  

Lives are at stake. Now is not the time for grandstanding and personal promotion. If Thunberg wants to run the world, she should get herself elected. Otherwise, she should sail off into the sunset. 

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