Lauren Boebert ridiculed after attack on Greta Thunberg backfires

‘It’s her world that is at stake. Try listening. Try learning’ say social media users in response to the Colorado Representative

Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert has been widely condemned after attacking 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, after her speech outside Cop26.

In Glasgow, Ms Thunberg said: “No more blah blah blah”, in reference to climate summit talks between world leaders. “No more whatever the f**k they’re doing inside there,” she added. 

Boebert’s “tell me without telling me” joke relating to the speech went down like a lead balloon on Twitter.

“Tell me you have absolutely no idea why you’re protesting without telling me you have absolutely no idea what you’re protesting,” wrote the Colorado congresswoman.

“How adult of you to pick on a kid,” said one user, among the onslaught of mockery.

“The fact that you don’t understand what she’s doing does not mean that she doesn’t understand what she’s doing,” said another user.

“Thank you for helping broadcast her message,” another tweet wrote.

“While it's clearly lost on you, maybe it will resonate with people who would like to save the planet,” the tweet continued.

Another urged Boebert to wake up. “Why would you criticise a young girl who is articulate and passionate in her beliefs? It’s her world that is at stake. Try listening. Try learning.”

Republicans have been condemned for belittling Ms Thunberg in the past. Commentator Michael Knowles apologised to the activist after referring to her as a “mentally ill Swedish child” on Fox News when she was just 16-years-old.

Donald Trump has also previously undermined Ms Thunberg; he responded one of her speeches, in which she said that world leaders had “stolen my dreams, my childhood, with your empty word”, and asked, “How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just business as usual and some technical solutions?”

Mr Trump sarcastically tweeted in 2019, along with a clip of her speech: “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”

Greta Thunberg was entered into Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and the same year she became Time magazine’s Person of the Year, she has received three consecutive nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, between 2019-21.

Ms Thunberg’s activism started when she skipped school for three weeks in 2018, to protest outside Swedish parliament in an attempt to urge the government to reduce its carbon emissions. Sweden had just had its hottest summer in 262 years.