Fridays for Future Fredericton
On a cold, rainy Friday, instead of going to school, a number of middle school and high school students instead participated in a protest against the lack of action done on the climate crisis. 15 year old Greta Schwartz inspired the protest by sitting outside the Swedish parliament every day for three weeks, protesting the lack of action done on the ongoing climate crisis, and posted about her actions on social media. She gained recognition and soon, many students from all over the world followed her by protesting outside their respective legislative buildings.
Though the students were left shivering in the chilly and damp conditions, their spirits were strong as they chanted, “No more coal, no more oil, keep your carbon in the soil,” and “The Planet! The Planet! The planet’s on fire! We don’t need no oil let the corporations burn!”
When questioned as to why she was there, a young lady in the 8th grade said that while she likes money, there are also no jobs on a dead planet, and that’s what inspired her to protest.
A young student in a purple hoodie held a sign that read, “Climate action is scary, but inaction is scarier. #Climatestrike.” She said she attended the strike because she always saw people talking about climate change in class or on social media, but nobody was really doing anything about it. That’s what prompted her to attend the strike and make a stand.
The teacher, who led the group, said he was impressed with the resolve of his students to come out and protest at the Legislative Building. He says he wants to organize another protest and this time have his students march around the Legislative Building so that onlookers could see what exactly they were protesting and perhaps join in with the group.
