Greta Thunberg to lead thousands of young people in climate strike
The climate activist is due to speak to crowds in Glasgow at the end of the march along with other young campaigners
Thousands of young people are set to take to the streets of Glasgow today (November 5) for a climate protest in response to COP26.
Greta Thunberg and fellow climate activist Vanessa Nakate, along with other young campaigners and trade unionists, are due to speak to crowds at the end of the march.
The Climate Strike march, which will see pupils strike from school and walk from Kelvingrove Park to the city centre, is organised by youth activist group Fridays for Future Scotland.
Thunberg wrote on Twitter: “Climate justice also means social justice and that we leave no one behind.
“So we invite everyone, especially the workers striking in Glasgow, to join us. See you there.”
The 18-year-old also urged GMB union members who are currently striking in the city council’s cleansing department to join.
Anna Brown, an activist with the organisation, told the BBC: “The message is that the system of COPs – we’ve had 26 now – that system isn’t working. So we need to uproot that system. The message is you need to listen to the people in the streets, the young people, the workers.
“We need to move it from being in an enclosed space where people can’t get involved to the streets, where people can see what’s happening and have a say.
“I think part of it is designed so people don’t understand what it’s about – if people don’t understand what’s being said in negotiations, they can’t criticise what’s happening and the decisions that are being made.”
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that they did not expect to see “major disorder”, and that there would be reduced numbers of officers at the protest.
Thunberg has been active in Glasgow since arriving for the COP26 conference, including a protest on Monday (November 1) at which she was recorded singing: “You can shove your climate crisis up your arse”.
She was among hundreds of activists in Festival Park demonstrating at one of several protests sparked by the arrival of world leaders for the climate conference.
Earlier this week Sir David Attenborough also warned world leaders that humanity is “already in trouble”, but spoke of the potential for a “wonderful recovery” in a speech at the COP26 summit today.