A young female climate activist has lashed out at top Swedish politicians in a televised election debate, berating them for their "failure to address the environmental crisis and the climate change," evoking speculation that she is the new Greta Thunberg.
“Don't you understand the seriousness? People are dying!”, the young activist, whose name is Eira Hedlund and who represents Greta Thunberg's organization Fridays for Future, thundered during the debate between Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson and current Prime Minister and Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson.
Subsequently, Hedlund started to cry, yet went on, sobbing: “How can you continue to pretend that the climate crisis is not happening? How can you do this to us?”
Eira Hedlund's input into the debate, the last one before the election, has been praised by fellow climate activists on social media. Incidentally, the clash didn't go unnoticed by Greta Thunberg herself, who is known for her passionate and teary-eyed speeches admonishing those in power for not doing enough to stop what is seen as a climate crisis.
“During tonight's party debate, Eira held those in power to account in a way no one has ever done during this election campaign. It is shameful that the burden of communicating the uncomfortable truth is dumped on children. Society and the adult world are in total denial,” Thunberg wrote.
Screendump of tweets commenting Eira Hedlund's speech
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However, many others noted that Eira looks strikingly similar to Greta, with long braids and an emotional appeal.
“Absolutely pathetic and like a lame joke. Styled to look like a Greta copy, only much younger than she is. You guys are like a crazy cult,” one Twitter user reacted.
Screendump of tweets commenting Eira Hedlund's speech
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“Exploiting young people, almost children, who are clearly suffering, in such as cynical way is shameful. Is she the new Greta? She has the Puritan clothes and the braids,” another one chimed in.
Screendump of tweets commenting Eira Hedlund's speech
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“Child brainwashed by the Khmer Green,” one user wrote, drawing parallels between the environmentalists and the Khmer Rouge, the hardline agrarian movement that ruled Cambodia, drawing the country into abject poverty.
In her heyday as an environmentalist icon, Greta Thunberg rose to international fame and recognition across the world as a 15-year-old through her solitary Friday climate strikes at the porch of the Swedish parliament. Showered in media attention, Thunberg rose to the status of a climate guru of sorts. Ever since, she has been delivering emotional speeches and lecturing world leaders on their failure to address the climate problem properly, while receiving countless prizes and trophies and teaming up with celebrities with a knack for environmentalism.