Climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by police on Tuesday while protesting the expansion of a coal mine in Germany.
The 20-year-old, who has become a leading voice in the fight against climate change, was arrested alongside a group of protestors who were advocating against the demolition of a village in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The village was set to be destroyed to make way for a coal mine owned by German energy company RWE.
The news of Thunberg’s arrest has sparked a strong reaction online, with many people sharing memes and messages of support for the activist.
Why she was arrested:
According to a CNN report, police were concerned that protestors would be hurt if they got close to the coal pit because the ground is soft from rain.
As soon as word of Thunberg’s detention hit social media, people began comparing her run-in with the authorities to Tate’s recent arrest.
36-year-old Tate and Thunberg got into a Twitter argument in December, just before Tate was taken into custody on suspicion of rape and human trafficking.
Tate made a joke at Thunberg’s environmental efforts by boasting about his numerous luxury cars, to which Thunberg retaliated with a mic-drop slur before making fun of him for getting detained.
People on Twitter made jokes about the two meeting in prison or about Thunberg receiving payback for making light of Tate’s imprisonment.
The whole thing is amusing, though. Tate is not in the same predicament as Thunberg.
