Greta Thunberg burst into laughter upon learning the climate movement she founded was still holding protests.
Thunberg, 23, was filming a documentary when someone informed her that Fridays for Future was demonstrating in Berlin that same day. “Is it?” she asked, looking surprised before breaking into loud laughter. “Really? They still do that?”
She and a friend continued cracking up, with Thunberg eventually yelling, “Cut!”
The exchange was captured in “On Tanks into the Climate Crisis How Activism is Criminalised,” a documentary directed by Hubertus Koch. Koch later described the joke as being “right on the edge,” while still praising Thunberg for her activism on climate change and the war in Gaza.
The moment quickly circulated online and drew sharp criticism from observers who interpreted Thunberg’s reaction as mockery directed at young protesters continuing the demonstrations she began. “Greta is the OG LARPer, cosplaying a climate activist,” one person wrote on X. Another user posted, “Climate was just the warm-up. Hating Israel is the real job.”
Thunberg’s shift in focus has been increasingly visible in recent months. She recently traveled on a so-called freedom flotilla to deliver aid to Gaza, a move that placed her at the center of geopolitical controversy separate from her environmental origins. Her appearance at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey on Thursday showed she still engages with climate issues, though her public priorities have clearly expanded.
Fridays for Future began in August 2018 when Thunberg, then 15, started skipping school every Friday to protest outside the Swedish parliament. The solitary demonstrations grew into a global youth movement, with millions of students walking out of classrooms worldwide to demand government action on climate change. Thunberg herself became the face of that wave, addressing the United Nations and confronting world leaders with her “How dare you” speech that defined a generation’s climate frustration.
What started as one teenager’s defiant stand evolved into organized chapters across dozens of countries, many of which continued operating as Thunberg’s personal spotlight moved elsewhere. The Berlin protest that prompted her surprised laughter represented just one of many ongoing demonstrations by local activists who kept the weekly Friday tradition alive.
Thunberg’s documentary appearance marks another chapter in a public transformation that has alienated some former supporters while attracting new audiences interested in her Palestine solidarity work. Whether her laughter reflected genuine surprise, performative irony, or something else entirely remains contested among viewers of the clip.
The Cop31 summit in Turkey runs through next week.