Greta Thunberg at UiO:     – The climate crisis is a human rights crisis

— How can we expect the world to care about the climate when it doesn't care about people, Greta Thunberg asks a jam-packed auditorium in Georg Sverdrups hus at Blindern.

On Monday 10 February, Thunberg took to Blindern to talk with Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Universitas meets student Aisha Erdes (28) outside the entrance to the auditorium. She attests that Thunberg's support of Palestine has made her a controversial figure.

— She was very popular in Germany, but when she started talking about Palestine, that changed. Both her campaigns are about justice and human rights, she says (28).

Erdes also states her opinion on the role of universities in global conflict.

— Universities are places where activism becomes visible and the future is shaped, Erdes adds.

— No climate justice on occupied land

During her talk, Thunberg criticises the military industry's role in the climate crisis.

— We can't have environmentally friendly bombs, she says.

Thunberg draws clear parallels between anti-imperialism and the climate change campaign.

— No climate justice on occupied land, she says.

She also points out the differences in Western reactions to different conflicts.

— When we supported Ukraine, we were not called anti-Semites. But when we support Palestine, it suddenly becomes something completely different.

Albanese on Israel's impunity

UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese compared Israel's occupation with the apartheid regime in South Africa and pointed to Western hypocrisy in reactions to war crimes.

— The world sanctioned Russia immediately, but after several decades of Israeli occupation and apartheid, we are still discussing accountability.

She also pointed out that Israel benefits financially from militarisation.

— Israel tests weapons and surveillance technology on Palestinians, and then sells it as ‘battle-tested’ to the rest of the world.

Albanese also addressed Norway's role.

— The Norwegian oil fund is among the largest investors in the Israeli occupation. How can a state recognise international law while at the same time investing in violations of it, she asks.

A surprise visit

Student activists at the University of Oslo had been working for a long time to get Albanese to Blindern to talk about Palestine. The fact that not only did they get Albanese, but also Thunberg, was more than they could have hoped for.

— We took the initiative to bring Albanese to Oslo because she works directly with international law and the Palestine issue. When we learned that she was coming to the city, we contacted her, says Marta Segone, one of the initiators behind the event.

Before the panel, Universitas met Segone and co-organiser Jihad Ammar Al-Mahdi. The participation of Thunberg, on the other hand, was something they did not expect.

— Those organising Albanese’s visit asked us what our plan was for the event. Then they told us that Thunberg would be in Oslo at the same time and that she wanted to participate alongside Albanese. They asked if we were comfortable with that, so we actually never had to contact Greta directly, says Segone.

— It was just incredibly good timing.

According to them, the aim of the event was to inform students about international law and the situation in Palestine from an academic perspective.

Although Thunberg is mainly known as a climate activist, Al-Mahdi believes that her participation gave the event extra weight.

— Being pro-Palestine is not just about Palestine, but about standing up against injustice wherever it happens. When Greta gets involved in this cause, it shows that this is a broader justice movement. She probably sees this as a fundamental injustice, and if we can't solve this, what can we solve?