The environmental activist, who was named Time magazine's "Woman of the Year," had to apologize after calling for putting politicians "with their backs to the wall" • "Error in translation", she claimed

• Fell into her tongue. Greta Tunberg // Photo: Reuters

Had to apologize: Greta Tonberg, who has become the symbol of the global warming movement, has found herself in boiling water in recent days, following a controversial statement that many have interpreted as a call for killing politicians and had to apologize this morning (Sunday). During a speech Tonberg made last Friday in the city of Turin, Italy, the 16-year-old said: "There are leaders who are still trying to escape their responsibilities, but we need to make sure they do not.

"We need to make sure they are back to the wall, and they will have to do their job to protect our future," Tonberg said in English, where the phrase "with the back to the wall" communicates executions during revolutions. Following the speech, and the criticism it criticized, the environmentalist was forced to apologize, claiming that the controversial statement was due to a difference in the meaning of the sentence in Swedish - Tonberg's mother tongue.

Time of the Year for "Time": Greta Tonberg // Photo: Reuters

"I said we had to make sure our leaders were held accountable, and I accidentally said 'with your back to the wall'," Tonberg explained in her Twitter account. "In Swedish, the phrase means having someone take responsibility for his actions

"This is what happens when you improvise speeches in a language that is not your native language, but of course I apologize if anyone misunderstands it," Tonberg continued. "I cannot stress enough, I - like all members of the movement, oppose any kind of violence. Of course, but say it again. "

One of the leaders that Tonberg may have been aiming for is Donald Trump, who recalls getting into a Twitter dispute with environmental activist just a week ago, following the young woman's winning of the magazine's "Woman of the Year" title.

In a tweet on Twitter, Trump wrote that Greta's win was "so ridiculous" and sent the 16-year-old girl "to work on controlling her anger and then going to a good movie with a friend. Relax, Greta, relax!".

Tonberg, who is suffering from Asperger's syndrome and is on the autistic continuum, has actually responded humorously to Trump's attack. After the US president's tweet was published, she swiftly changed the bio in her Twitter account, writing that she was "a girl working on an anger control problem, currently relaxing and watching a good movie with a friend."