Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined a protest in Berlin wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Yalla Intifada,” drawing criticism over its reference to Palestinian uprisings in which more than 1,000 Israelis were killed.
Thunberg appeared at Saturday’s demonstration outside a new ammunition production facility operated by German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall in the city’s Wedding district. The protest was organized by the Berlin Alliance Against Arms Production as Rheinmetall converts production lines at the site from civilian automotive components to steel casings for 155-mm artillery shells.
Photographs from the demonstration showed Thunberg wearing the “Yalla Intifada” shirt while standing among the protesters. “Greta Thunberg attended a protest wearing a ‘Yalla Intifada’ shirt,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement said in a statement.
“The slogan combines the Arabic word for ‘let’s go’ and Intifada, terror campaigns that killed thousands of people.”
The First Intifada, from 1987 to 1993, left about 200 Israelis dead. The Second Intifada, which began in 2000 and lasted until 2005, killed 1,010 Israelis, most of them Jewish civilians, in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks.
Thunberg first rose to international prominence as a teenager leading school strikes in Sweden to demand stronger action against climate change. She was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2019. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, however, she has increasingly focused her activism on opposition to Israel.
She participated in two flotilla missions aimed at reaching Gaza and challenging Israeli restrictions on the enclave. Israeli forces intercepted both attempts, and Thunberg was detained and deported. She later stepped down from a leadership role in one flotilla effort amid reported disagreements over its direction.
The wider flotilla movement has also faced internal controversy. A senior organizer was accused of engaging in sexual relationships with several volunteers during a previous voyage, allegations he denied as part of a smear campaign.
Greta Thunberg at a Greek airport after returning from detention in Israel following her arrival on a Gaza-bound flotilla
(Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Organizers said an internal review found no evidence or formal complaints warranting further action. They later established an ethics committee to examine such issues.
Critics have also questioned the flotillas’ funding transparency, internal priorities and whether resources devoted to the missions could be more effectively directed through established humanitarian organizations. Organizers have rejected those claims, saying the voyages are intended to raise awareness, challenge restrictions on Gaza and deliver aid where possible.
In December 2025, Thunberg was arrested in London during a protest in support of jailed members of Palestine Action, a group banned in Britain under terrorism legislation.
Greta during the protest in London
(Photo: PRISONERS FOR PALESTINE / AFP)
Police detained her after she displayed a sign declaring support for Palestine Action prisoners during a demonstration outside the offices of Aspen Insurance, which protesters accused of having links to Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. Two other demonstrators sprayed red paint on the building and were also arrested.
Thunberg’s appearance in the “Yalla Intifada” shirt marks the latest escalation in her increasingly prominent role in anti-Israel activism, moving well beyond the climate campaign that first made her a global figure.