Students went on strike today worldwide to protest against climate change. Luckily, the London protest took place only a stone’s throw away from the Spectator office so Steerpike went down to Parliament Square to see what action the eco-protesters want taken as a country. Only, with signs ranging from ‘F–k Boris’ to ‘Defy Tory Rule’, and Palestinian and communist flags flying, the event could easily have been mistaken as a pre-party for Labour’s conference this weekend. Jeremy Corbyn and a slightly hoarse Owen Jones showed up to lend their support.
It turns out that if you want to make a point on the environment, it’s best to use plenty of expletives to get your point across. One group of children – who couldn’t have been much older than 11 or 12 – were spotted standing on the barricades outside Parliament singing ‘Go, f**k off Boris’.
Here’s a selection of the placards on offer:
Socialist Worker poster “No to Racism”
“Fly less, strike more” – placard from today’s climate protest in London
Stand up to Racism poster: “Leave or Remain…No to racism, No to Boris Johnson”
Colourful anti-Boris shirt-turned-placard at London’s climate protest today
Stop the War Coalition placard: Cut war, not welfare
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