She divided the world as she spoke at the United Nations in a moving and passionate speech on climate change this week and now stars have begun to clash as they react to 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg’s powerful words. But while many continue to applaud her, others have hit out in damning public statements.
Thunberg made headlines right across the globe as she ripped into world leaders and politicians for “stealing her dreams and childhood with their empty words” and failing to act sooner on devastating climate change. It sparked a huge response from high profile celebrities and Australian politicians who were impressed by her words – but not everyone was convinced.
Karl Stefanovic led the charge against the brave teenager in a surprising discussion on 2GB on Wednesday, claiming she’s being used unfairly by activists as a mouthpiece to air their thoughts.
“I really do feel for her in the respect that she’s not being looked after, she’s got a lot of pressure on her, and I mean everyone can say, if that was my kid, she wouldn’t be in that situation but the problem is, whoever is behind her, the parents who are behind her or whoever’s managing her, she is being managed and her stance is being used by activists,” the 45-year-old TV presenter claimed.
He added: “She was very fired up wasn’t she? I thought ‘What are my kids doing on school holidays next week?’ Not doing that.” He wasn’t alone, and controversial Aussie TV personality Sam Newman didn’t hold back as he took to Twitter and branded her a “brat”.
Newman wrote: “This annoying little brat addressed the UN on the so-called climate crisis. WHO lets this shit have a platform? Mendacious, inbred sycophants, that who. #ClimateChangeHoax.” It followed Thunberg’s speech just hours before, where she said at the UN: “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean… Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!”
She added: “I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of economic growth. How dare you.”
Newman was heavily slammed online for his opinion, with Lisa Wilkinson writing: “To quote @GretaThunberg – ‘When haters go after your looks and differences it means they have nowhere left to go.’ #samnewman #GretaThunberg.” Another follower commented: “You’re a sad excuse of a man, picking on a 16 year old girl with aspergers, all because she and millions of her peers care about the future of our planet.”
Former PM Kevin Rudd also spoke out to support Thunberg on Tuesday, saying her words encapsulated “the anger of that generation and does so effectively”. He told the ABC: “It might insult a whole lot of middle-aged white guys, because it is not the way that we would talk, or we think that it is inappropriate for a young girl to speak that way, but when I speak to young people around the world, whether it is in China, here in the United States or back home in Australia, frankly there is a rising rage that our generation has failed to step up to the plate.”
A stream of other stars have supported Thunberg including everyone from Seth MacFarlane to Susan Sarandon and Alyssa Milano, while Better Midler wrote: “And a little child shall lead them.” The actress also shared a video showing young Thunberg staring down US President Donald Trump as he stepped out to speak to the UN, barely disguising her disgust.
No doubt seeing the reaction to the moment online shortly after, Trump himself spoke out in a jaw-dropping dig at the activist, writing on Twitter: “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”
Elsewhere, taking a more balanced view, outspoken British TV presenter and journalist Piers Morgan admitted while he doesn’t think Thunberg should be speaking at all – her words need to be taken onboard. Writing in a first-person piece for the Daily Mail, he wrote: “Unusually, I find myself in two minds about her. Part of me loves Greta.” However he added: “But I also found it very uncomfortable viewing.”