At the 22nd Zurich Film Festival, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was invited to participate in a panel discussion. Contrary to expectations of a full house, only a fraction of the audience turned out, with 260 of the 300 seats remaining empty. This unexpected turnout raised questions about possible sabotage, particularly directed at the Moroccan government.
The panel discussion was centered around the documentary "My Home of Wind and Sand," created by Austrian filmmaker Patrick Wally. This poignant documentary sheds light on the plight of the Sahrawi people in North Africa, whose homeland has been under Moroccan control since the withdrawal of the Spanish colonial powers in the mid-1970s. Currently, more than 170,000 refugees endure harsh living conditions in camps near Tindouf, located in the Algerian desert.
Thunberg has been an outspoken advocate for bringing more attention to this long-standing conflict, as reported by the Swiss publication "Blick." She aimed to use her platform during the panel to elevate awareness surrounding the Sahrawi situation. However, only about 40 attendees showed up to the cinema for the event.
In her remarks, Thunberg accused Morocco of orchestrating a ticket blockade to limit access to the event, as a large number of tickets had been reserved, effectively restricting attendance. Although the event was free and organizers anticipated a high turnout, they required online reservations with a limit of four tickets per person.
Despite the low turnout, the event proceeded as planned, and Thunberg shared her thoughts on the film, stating, "The film is very moving. It deals with a betrayal—the betrayal of the occupation and the fact that this conflict is ignored by the world." She urged attendees to stand in solidarity with the Sahrawis, emphasizing the need for public discourse on their plight: "We must talk about it and spread the message; otherwise, we are hypocrites," she concluded, according to Swissinfo.ch.
As reported by t-online.de.
