A German railway company, that had initially apologized to climate activist, Greta Thunberg's tweet stating she was heading home on an 'overcrowed' train, has taken back the apology for the inconvenience she was supposedly caused.
Heading back home
The 16-year-old Swedish climate change advocate had navigated her way across the world in 2019 by sea, road, and rail to raise awareness about the global climate crisis. Her trip drew the attention of global leaders and climate change supporters from across the world.
However, a tweet by the teenager who was on her way home in Sweden to celebrate Christmas ended up receiving an unexpected concluding response. Aboard a German train, Thunberg tweeted a picture of herself sitting on the floor of a railway carriage and surrounded by luggage. She wrote, "Traveling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I'm finally on my way home!"
Traveling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I’m finally on my way home! pic.twitter.com/ssfLCPsR8o
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 14, 2019
In response to her tweet, the German railway company, Deutsche Bahn, responded by wishing her a safe journey home and assured that it will continue to work hard to improve railway connectivity and availability of seats in the future. The company also tweeted their gratitude for Thunberg supporting railroad workers in their fight against climate change.
Liebe #Greta, danke, dass Du uns Eisenbahner im Kampf gegen den Klimawandel unterstützt! Wir haben uns gefreut, dass Du am Samstag mit uns im ICE 74 unterwegs warst. Und das mit 100 Prozent Ökostrom. 1/2
— Deutsche Bahn AG (@DB_Presse) December 15, 2019
A craftily revoked apology
The twist in what seemed like a pleasant Twitter exchange between the two parties came in the form of another tweet from Deutsche Bahn. The company wrote, "It would have been even nicer if you had also reported how friendly and competent you were looked after by our team at your seat in first class."
Noch schöner wäre es gewesen, wenn Du zusätzlich auch berichtet hättest, wie freundlich und kompetent Du von unserem Team an Deinem Sitzplatz in der Ersten Klasse betreut worden bist. #Greta 2/2
— Deutsche Bahn AG (@DB_Presse) December 15, 2019
Yes. It turns out that the climate change warrior had been travelling First Class and not in an 'overcrowded' coach. However, Thunberg was quick to respond and said that her train from Basel was taken out of traffic and she had to sit on the floor of two different trains before finding a seat. She also added that overcrowded trains were a "good sign" as it reflected the demand for trains.
Time magazine's Person of the Year
Earlier this week, Thunberg was named the Time Magazine Person of the Year, pipping US President Donald Trump. The announcement drew a vicious response from US President Donald Trump on Twitter. However, figures such as Former First Lady Michelle Obama expressed their support and appreciation for her on the microblogging platform.
