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New school strike sees hundreds of youngsters ditch lessons to save the climate

One of the youngest protesters. Photographs: YorkMix

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Environment, Politics

Students from schools across York ditched lessons to demand action on climate change today.

It was the second #YouthStrike4Climate protest in the city, and saw a significantly larger turn out than the first in February.

Some primary school age pupils joined their older peers in the demonstration, which was also attended by York Central MP Rachael Maskell.

There were music performances and a march through the city centre.

One of the organisers, Maisie Outhart, 16, had left Archbishop Holgate’s School to be there.

She told YorkMix that many more young people knew about this second protest and were determined to take part.

  • We are very much aware of the climate crisis, and pushing back against the government who are not doing anything about it at all.

    It shows how screwed on young people really are.

Mixed response from schools

She said it was entirely organised by young people because “it is our future.”

“Most adults have been supportive, and for the most part, what I’ve heard is most schools have too.”

But she said her own school – Archbishop Holgate’s – and Millthorpe had “not been very supportive at all”.

  • At my school they tried to scare people out of going – they called me out of form and questioned us on it.

    They were 100% supportive of the cause – but they really weren’t supportive of the protest. They succeeded in scaring a lot of people out of going.

    I think it was an unfair exercise of power. It’s not fair to give empty threats to get people not to go.

Maisie said she “wasn’t going to let myself be oppressed and scared by teachers”.

She said that Year 11s at Millthorpe were told they couldn’t go to prom if they joined the protest.

But other schools were encouraging students to go. As the protests were making politicians sit up and take notice, there would be more in future, she said.

Her message: “Don’t let your voice be oppressed. The climate crisis is one of the most important facing this generation.”

In pictures

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