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š¾ Antisemitic octopus
Geopolitics Hound
October 23, 2023
Good morning, readers!
Thankfully, no new war has erupted on the weekend.
However, a feud between Greta Thunberg (out of all the people) and her critics has sparked fierce debate aboutā¦
a blue octopus.
Hereās why. šš»
Todayās hotspots
Greta Thunberg under fire for her latest photos.
Greta Thunberg, the infamous Swedish climate activist, has stirred up a storm of controversy with her latest social media post.
What was so controversial?
She featured an anti-semitic symbol in the post.
š¾ The now-deleted post.
Thunberg posted a photo of herself and three others holding signs that said:
āFree Palestineā
āClimate Justice Nowā
āThis Jew stands with Palestineā
"Stand with Gaza"
She also called for an āimmediate ceasefireā and a general strike to protest the āgenocideā in Gaza.
š¾ The octopus.
Critics also pointed out a blue plush octopus in the corner of the photo.
They claim that this is a āKraken,ā an anti-semitic symbol that was often used in Nazi Germany to depict Jews as having their tentacles over the world.
But more accurately, a blue octopus was used for such a purpose.
Anti-Semitic cartoon by Seppla (Josef Plank), depicting Sir Winston Churchill under a Star of David, wrapping his tentacles around the Earth. (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
š¾ The apology.
Thunberg deleted the original post and uploaded a new version without the octopus.
Reason: She explained that the toy was a tool used by autistic people to communicate feelings and that she was unaware of its offensive meaning.
Also: Greta Thunberg is open about her autism.
It has come to my knowledge that the stuffed animal shown in my earlier post can be interpreted as a symbol for antisemitism, which I was completely unaware of. The toy in the picture is a tool often used by autistic people as a way to communicate feelings.
We are of courseā¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
ā Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg)
1:13 PM ā¢ Oct 20, 2023
š¾ Further backlash.
Blue octopus uproar just the start. Thunbergās silence on Hamasā attacks on innocent Israelis also stoked the flames of outrage.
The official X account of Israel further criticized and mocked Thunberg:
Israeli military spokesperson Arye Sharuz Shalicar initially told Politico:
Whoever identifies with Greta in any way in the future, in my view, is a terror supporter. Because what Greta is doing, that she is now showing solidarity with Gaza while not saying a word about the massacres of Israelis, shows that she is actually not in favor of the Palestinians, but that she is sweeping the terror of the Palestinians or Hamas and Islamic Jihad under the table as if it did not exist.
However, he later retracted the statement and apologized:
I spoke out of a deep sense of pain and my words do not reflect my personal views or those of the IDF.
Quick updates
Click the country's name for more.šš»š®š· Iran:
Armita Geravand.
Teenage girl ābrain deadā after hijab law clash.
She just wanted to ride the metro without a head covering. Now she is considered ābrain dead,ā after going falling into a coma this month.
Armita Geravand, a 16-year-old Iranian girl, is reported to be ābrain deadā after an alleged assault by the morality police for not wearing a hijab on the Tehran metro.
Iranian authorities deny any wrongdoing, but rights groups are outraged.
CCTV footage shows her being dragged out of the train unconscious, but no video of the encounter itself has been released.
This update is expected to spark more protests regarding the countryās hijab law.
ā± NOTE: Two journalists who reported on the death of another woman in custody of the morality police last year have been sentenced to 12 and 13 years in prison.
šµš Philippines:
Chinaās ships ram Philippine vessels.
It was a rough day at sea for the Philippine Coast Guard and military. Two of their vessels were hit by a Chinese coast guard ship and an accompanying vessel near a contested shoal in the South China Sea.
Manila: It accused Beijing of violating its sovereignty and endangering its personnel.
China: It claims it was stopping āillegal constructionā by the Philippines.
The clash is the latest in a long-standing dispute over the rich and strategic waterway.
ā± NOTE: This was the first time that Philippine ships were actually bumped by Chinese ships in the area.
š§šŖ Belgium:
The now-former Belgian Minister Vincent van Quickenborne.
Justice Minister quits over botched extradition of terrorist.
Belgium is in shock after a deadly blunder by its justice system. A Tunisian terrorist, who shot dead two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels on Monday, was supposed to be extradited last year. However, the magistrate failed to act on Tunisiaās request.
The shooter, who claimed to be inspired by ISIS, was killed by police after being on the loose for several hours. He had been rejected as an asylum seeker and had a criminal record in several countries.
ā± NOTE: The attack has sparked a debate over how to deal with radicalized persons in Belgium.
šµš¹ Portugal:
Iām shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments, with the exception in particular of Irelandās government, who for once are doing the right thing. War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.
ā Paddy Cosgrave (@paddycosgrave)
11:21 AM ā¢ Oct 13, 2023
Web Summit CEO quits after anti-Israel remarks.
Paddy Cosgrave, the boss of Europeās biggest tech event, Web Summit, has resigned after sparking outrage with his comments on the Israel-Hamas war.
He said what? He accused Israel of committing war crimes and criticized Western support for its defense. He later apologized, but it was too late.
Backlash: Several tech giants, including Meta, Google, and Amazon, pulled out of the upcoming event in Lisbon.
ā± NOTE: Web Summit was founded in 2009 and attracts over 70,000 attendees from around the world.