FACT CHECK: Viral X Image Purporting To Show Greta Thunberg Holding Anti-Semitic Book Is Digitally Altered
A viral image shared on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show 20-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg holding an anti-Semitic book.
— I,Hypocrite (@lporiginalg) November 28, 2023
Verdict: False
The image is digitally altered. In the original image, shared via Thunberg’s verified X account, she can be seen holding a copy of “The Climate Book.” A spokesperson for Thunberg confirmed the image was fake in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Thunberg has been criticized for chanting “crush Zionism” at a recent pro-Palestine rally in Sweden, according to the Times of Israel. Nigel Savage, founder of the Jewish non-profit Hazon, said Thunberg and other members of the political left “have been intellectually captured by a naive, distorted and frankly bigoted anti-Zionism,” the outlet reported.
The X image, viewed over 800,000 times, purports to show Thunberg holding an anti-Semitic book. “On The Jews And Their Lies,” the title of the book appears to read. The book is supposedly written by German priest and theologian Martin Luther.
The image is digitally altered, however. In the original image, shared via Thunberg’s verified X account, she can be seen holding a copy of “The Climate Book.”
“I’m so pleased to share that The Climate Book is now available in the USA and Canada! I have gathered the wisdom of over one hundred contributors to highlight the many different crises we face and equip us with the knowledge we need to avoid a climate disaster,” Thunberg wrote in the first of two posts promoting the book.
“This is the biggest story in the world, and it must be spoken as far and wide as our voices can carry and much further still. Thank you for your support!
I will not earn money from this book as my copyright belongs to the Greta Thunberg Foundation, so all royalties go to charity,” she added in the second post.
I’m so pleased to share that The Climate Book is now available in the USA and Canada! I have gathered the wisdom of over one hundred contributors to highlight the many different crises we face and equip us with the knowledge we need to avoid a climate disaster. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/z2AD32Oac1
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 14, 2023
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the digitally altered X image in any recent credible news reports about Thunberg. In addition, a keyword search reveals that “On The Jews And Their Lies” is in fact an anti-Semitic work authored by Luther. (RELATED: Did Greta Thunberg Say We Must Switch To ‘Sustainable Tanks And Weaponry’?)
A spokesperson for Thunberg confirmed the image was fake in an email to Check Your Fact.
“The image is fake, and the original was posted by Greta with ‘The Climate Book,'” the spokesperson said.
