Greta Thunberg Reveals She'll Be Taking A Break From Eco Activism

With her passion for the environment, Greta Thunberg has been in the limelight lately and even caught the attention of world leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro. But fans won’t be seeing the teenage activist, who became the inspiration for young activists worldwide, for a while as she will be taking a break from eco-activism temporarily.

But the reason for easing up on her activism is actually very simple. Just like the rest of the world, she will be taking a break from her hectic schedule for the holidays.

“I will be home for Christmas and then I will take a holiday break because you need to take rest,” Thunberg said to reporters in Italy, Daily Mail reported. The teenage activist arrived in Turin on Friday after attending the UN climate summit in Madrid.

However, Thunberg is not so sure if her activism might bear fruit. “Unfortunately, we probably already know the outcome,” she said. “World leaders are still trying to run away from their responsibilities but we have to make sure they cannot do that.”

“We will make sure that we put them against the wall and they will have to do their job to protect our futures,” she added. However, this statement created some controversy as critics accused her of advocating violence.

Greta Thunberg immediately issued an apology explaining that it was just a misunderstanding. In her native tongue, to put someone against the wall means to hold someone accountable.

“Yesterday I said we must hold our leaders accountable and unfortunately said ‘put them against the wall,’” Thunberg explained to her 3 million followers on Twitter. “That's Swenglish: 'att ställa någon mot väggen' (to put someone against the wall) means to hold someone accountable. That's what happens when you improvise speeches in a second language.”

She also emphasized that she would never advocate violence. “But of course I apologise if anyone misunderstood this,” the teenage activist added. “I cannot enough express the fact that I - as well as the entire school strike movement - are against any possible form of violence. It goes without saying but I say it anyway.”

The Swedish climate activist was recently named as Time Person of the Year for speaking at the UN summit and supporting environmental demonstrations, according to Guinness World Records. Thunberg also set the record as the youngest person to receive the award.