Climate change protesters gather around Australia in latest mass strike

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Thousands of students, parents and workers across Australia have come together to take part in the latest mass climate strike to demand urgent action on global warming.

At least 2000 businesses gave their employees permission to take Friday off to join in more than 70 city and regional locations, as protesters marched CBD streets and gathered in major parklands, holding signs including “Stop Adani”, “Stop drilling in the Bight” and one group of students even waving flags of several South Pacific island nations.

With Scott Morrison in Washington for a week-long state visit, acting prime minister Michael McCormack slammed the protests as a “disruption” to schools and businesses, arguing students would learn more at school than at a rally.

“I think these sorts of rallies should be held on a weekend where it doesn’t actually disrupt business, it doesn’t disrupt schools, it doesn’t disrupt universities,” Mr McCormack told reporters in Melbourne.

“I think it is just a disruption,” he said, as NSW Police confirmed at least 50,000 people were gathered at The Domain in Sydney.

Secretary of the Council of Australian Trade Unions, Sally McManus, was in Brisbane on Friday for the so-called #ClimateStrike, describing the protest march as “huge”.

Friday’s #ClimateStrike is the latest day of global action led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who called on Australia, the Philippines, Japan and the Pacific islands to kick off the worldwide protests before the strikes move across 120 countries over the weekend.

The strike was deliberately scheduled to start three days before the United Nations climate summit in New York, where Thunberg is protesting the White House’s inaction on climate change.

She tweeted: “Australia is setting the standard!”

It follows earlier strikes in March attended by 150,000 people in Australia and 1.5 million people worldwide.

Organisers estimated Friday’s strikes would be even bigger this time thanks to extra support from unions, workers and companies that have signed up to strike with the young activists.

The Australian student protestors have three core demands:

  • No new coal, oil and gas projects, including the Adani coalmine.
  • 100 per cent renewable energy generation and exports by 2030.
  • Fund a just transition and job creation for all fossil-fuel workers and communities.

Twenty companies, including Atlassian, Future Super, KeepCup and clean energy retailer Amber, are part of an alliance called Not Business As Usual that is demanding companies to support staff to attend the strikes.

More than 2700 companies have joined the alliance.

Medical groups such as Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) have also thrown their support behind the protests.

“As doctors who are on the front-line of care, we can see the impacts of climate change are having very real consequences on people’s lives,” DEA Honorary Secretary Dr Richard Yin said in a statement on Friday.

“If our politicians fail to listen to the science, they are undermining the future environmental conditions that support the health and wellbeing of today’s young people.”

Rock singer Jimmy Barnes has backed the student-led protests, recording a video while on tour in Mackay to be played for local students at the protest.

“I am a father and a grandfather and want my grandchildren and the younger generation to live in a safe world, free from the dangerous effects of man-made climate change,” Mr Barnes said.

The post Climate change protesters gather around Australia in latest mass strike appeared first on The New Daily.


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