10,000 skip class to teach Leo about climate
THOUSANDS of Irish children took to the streets yesterday as part of climate change demonstrations that took place in more than 100 countries across the world.
Primary and secondary school pupils skipped classes to protest against the Government’s inaction on the issue.
The demonstration was part of a global movement by schoolchildren which has been inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has staged a series of strikes over climate change at her school.
In January, 35,000 students took to the streets of Brussels on a single day to highlight the need for global action.
In Dublin, an estimated 10,000 children gathered on St Stephen’s Green yesterday afternoon chanting: ‘What do we want? Change. When do we want it? Now.’
They then made their way to the gates of Dáil Éireann, where they carried handmade banners and posters, some of which read ‘there is no Planet B’, ‘Leo try harder’ and ‘easy to ignore till the Earth is no more’.
The demonstrations were organised by a loose coalition of pupils in schools across the country.
Primary school pupil Sadhbh Kenny and her mother Róisín were among those protesting.
‘We want to help the environment and the Taoiseach isn’t helping,’ Sadhbh said.
The eight-year-old, who attends Kilcoskan National School in north Co. Dublin, painted a picture of the Earth with the words ‘save me’.
Ms Kenny said her daughter had asked her to come into the city.
‘We just wanted to get involved. It’s something great to be part of,’ she said.
Helena Cheah and her two sons, Seán, nine, and Oisín, six, who attend Educate Together in Portlaoise, were among the protesters who turned up to call for action. They travelled from Portlaoise to because Ms Cheah said her son Seán worries about how to change Earth for the better.
‘This was an opportunity to make a point and do something so that’s why we’re here,’ she said.
Italian teacher Cristiana Ziraldo attended the event with 22 of her pupils, who are in Dublin to learn English. She said the teenagers had skipped their last class to protest with Irish students.
Federica De Biero, 17, from Pordenone, near Venice, said she wanted to join Irish students because it was part of an international movement.
‘It’s beautiful to see all the students fight for our rights,’ she said.