EXCLUSIVE How Greta Thunberg relishes being 'the poster girl for rebellious teenagers': JUDI JAMES reveals how she uses all the tricks of a political pro

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Environment activist Greta Thunberg is projecting 'power and authority' by taking control of the narrative when she speaks, a body language expert said today.
Judi James told MailOnline that the campaigner projects the 'image of a heroine' and her confidence on the global stage 'would match or even exceed seasoned leaders'.
The activist was deported by Israel yesterday, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. She has now returned to Sweden.
Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including 22-year-old Ms Thunberg agreed to be deported immediately.
Ms Thunberg has now called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Madleen, and described a 'quite chaotic and uncertain' situation.
She also claimed Israel had 'kidnapped' the group in international waters and 'taken them against their will', adding that it was 'another intentional violation of rights'.
Analysing her body language yesterday, Ms James said Ms Thunberg has 'several verbal and visual skills that could make her the poster girl for rebellious teenagers'.
She claimed the activist still looks like a teenager despite her age, and her 'youthful appearance tends to add to the image of a heroine as she appears as a loner'.
Ms James described Ms Thunberg as 'the isolated youth standing against the world of old male leaders and their nations', adding that her delivery is 'primarily political'.
She continued: 'When she speaks she utilises many of the communication devices world leaders use to project power and authority.
'Her confidence levels on the global stage would match or even exceed seasoned leaders like Starmer as she looks firmly welded to her own message and view of what is right.
'Her body language suggests a sense of powerful self-affirmation for her messages. Her conviction looks unassailable. She seems to offer facts not opinions and there is her wry smile that seems to mock anyone who disagrees with her.'
Ms James also noted a 'contrast of superiority and authority coming from the one who looks like the youngest in any room', saying that this created a 'counter-intuitive response in older heads while younger fans will see a path to power and the ability to change the world'.
She continued: 'Her wry smile as she begins to talk gives that impression of superiority, as though she is silently mocking her critics.
'Like any good politician she uses pause and enunciation to pick out certain words she wants to be memorable and have emphasis.
'Her brows raise in an expression of authority and when she says more than once 'That is an illegal act' her staccato nod and her small shoulder shrugs help give the impression that she thinks she is on top of all the laws in this critical situation.'
Ms James added that Ms Thunberg 'knows how to take control of the narrative' like most politicians, and she now appears calmer than in previous years when she had become known for 'dramatic emotional displays'.
Her comment that 'That is not the real story' displayed skill in 'redirecting and taking control' during an interview, according to Ms James.
The expert concluded: 'This version of Thunberg could project a contagious type of rebellion via the way her body bristles with defiance.
'Walking along alone in another clip though her body language tended to be more about teenage style stubbornness. Her arms were firmly folded, her lips clamped, and her chin lifted to suggest a refusal to back down or buckle under pressure.'
Speaking upon arrival in Paris en route to her home country of Sweden yesterday, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Madleen.
The conditions they faced during the detention 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now,' she said.
The trip was meant to protest against Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza's population of over two million people after 20 months of war, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey.
'We were well aware of the risks of this mission,' Ms Thunberg said. 'The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.' She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump called Ms Thunberg 'a young angry person' and recommended she take anger management classes.
'I think the world need a lot more young angry women,' Ms Thunberg said yesterday in response.