On Sunday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Madleen, crewed by 12 activists, including Thunberg and a minister of the European Parliament, was boarded by Israeli naval forces before it could reach a port in Gaza. The crew was detained, and the ship was brought to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The episode earned the attention of Trump, who was asked about her by the press.
“Well, she’s a strange person. She’s a young, angry person,” Trump said when asked if he had a message for the activist. “I don’t know if it’s real anger; it’s hard to believe, actually, but I saw what happened. She’s certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her.”
Trump commenting on Thunberg’s anger is a common motif. It was the subject of one of his most well-known tweets in 2019, when he responded to her winning Time magazine’s 2019 person of the year.
“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!” he said.
The small Madleen contained some humanitarian aid, but its primary purpose was to break the Israeli naval blockade symbolically. Jerusalem said the blockade is necessary to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas, which rules the enclave. In a Sunday Telegram post, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had instructed Israeli forces to “take any means necessary” to stop the Madleen from reaching Gaza.
“To the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas propaganda spokespeople, I say clearly: You should turn back — because you will not reach Gaza,” he said. “Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or aid terrorist organizations — at sea, in the air, and on land.”
After the vessel was boarded and the crew was arrested, the Freedom Flotilla said the activists had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces.”
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry trolled the activists in a statement on X.
ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL STOP GRETA THUNBERG AID SHIP FROM BREAKING GAZA NAVAL BLOCKADE
“The ‘Selfie Yacht’ docked at Ashdod Port a short while ago. The passengers are currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health,” it said, along with pictures of Thunberg and another member of the crew.
Thunberg has taken up the cause of pro-Palestinian activism following the onset of the war in Gaza. Her recent detainment by Israel is one of her several arrests for staging protests against the war since Oct. 7.
