Children stage mass walkout across UK in protest at climate change

Children stage mass walkout across UK in protest at climate change

https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/15/children-stage-mass-walkout-across-uk-protest-climate-change-8633009/

by Martine Berg Olsen

Thousands of schoolchildren have walked out of class to take part in a protest against climate change across the UK. The first ever UK wide School Strike 4 Climate is expecting to see thousands, potentially millions, of kids marching in over 60 locations across the country – from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall. Youths as young as three are challenging the ‘alarming lack of Government leadership’ and demanding the UK to declare a climate emergency.

UK Student Climate Network’s Anna Taylor said: ‘We’re running out of time for meaningful change, and that’s why we’re seeing young people around the world rising up to hold their governments to account on their dismal climate records. Anti-terrorism officer, 38, 'raped girl, 14, after tracking her on Snapchat' ‘Unless we take positive action, the future’s looking bleak for those of us that have grown up in an era by climate change.’ The strike in London kicked off at Parliament Square at 11am, and urges children to ‘tell the Government you’re prepared to break the rules to make change happen’. The Facebook event said: ‘The world’s youth are waking up. Millions of young people are realising it’s now or never and are now taking direct action on the climate crisis and ecological catastrophe.’

Downing Street said that while it was important for young people to engage with issues like climate change, the disruption to planned lesson time was damaging for pupils. A spokesman for No 10 said: ‘Everybody wants young people to be engaged in the issues that affect them most so that we can build a brighter future for all of us. ‘But it is important to emphasise that disruption increases teachers’ workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for. ‘That time is crucial for young people, precisely so that they can develop into the top scientists, engineers and advocates we need to help tackle this problem.’

School leaders and education secretary Damian Hinds have warned students they should not miss lessons to take part in the strikes. Mr Hinds said: ‘I want young people to be engaged in key issues affecting them and involving themselves in causes they care about. ‘But let me be clear, missing class won’t do a thing to help the environment; all they will do is create extra work for teachers.’ The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it supports the right of young people to express themselves but it did not condone students being out of the classroom to take action

NAHT said in a statement: ‘While a school leader’s role is to ensure children attend school, are kept safe and receive a good quality of education, it is right that individual school leaders can decide how best to respond to any protest by students in their school on Friday.’ The movement started when Greta Thunberg, 16, a climate activist with Asperger who protest outside Sweden’s parliament every Friday urged urged the world to join her. It has already seen school strikes in Australia and European countries including Belgium and Berlin.

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/02/15/children-stage-mass-walkout-across-uk-protest-climate-change-8633009/?ito=cbshare

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