#YouthStrike4Climate mobilised thousands of students in over 60 locations across the UK on 15th February to protest lack of government action on the climate and ecological crisis facing humanity.
The movement was inspired by the #FridaysForFuture strikes started by Greta Thunberg, a school student in Sweden who began sitting outside her parliament every week after last summer’s long drought and wildfires there.
In London, what was supposed to be a rally turned spontaneously into a march, despite organisers’ pleas, and many hundreds of students blocked Westminster traffic as they protested in Whitehall and sat down on the roads around parliament.
Despite police deploying horses, issuing warnings, and carrying out several arrests, students remained calmly and non-violently defiant, even marching on to Westminster Bridge and holding a further sit-down there. It was only after numbers had dwindled that a substantial police cordon managed to push youngsters onto the square and traffic resumed fully at around 5.30pm.
Check out this powerful speech too.
There may be further Friday protests in London, and there is a march to the Dept for Education on 22nd, but the next national mobilisation is scheduled for 15th March.
More info at UK Students Climate Network and at Extinction Rebellion
