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Thousands of UK kids skip school for climate protests

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AFP London
Last Updated : Feb 15 2019 | 8:40 PM IST

Thousands of schoolchildren went on "strike" across Britain on Friday in a protest against climate change, with hundreds rallying in London's Parliament Square.

Children of all ages chanted "save our planet", cheered as flares were lit and clambered onto statues in the shadow of Big Ben to call for action, and to raise awareness.

"As humans, we got ourselves into this predicament, it's our responsiblity to get out of it," said 15-year-old Hal, who normally attends a shool in Hammersmith, west London.

"As well as being a message to the politicians, it's a way to spread awareness to everyone," added the teenager, who was wearing his school uniform "to accentuate the fact that I should be at school".

The protesters waved makeshift placards reading "Make Earth Cool Again," "Don't Mess With My Mother", "We Stand For What We Stand On" and
"I'm Getting Detention For This."
There were similar protests in dozens of towns and cities, including Brighton, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford
"It's the little things that we are doing but it's the government that needs to do the big things."
Prime Minister Theresa May's office said it was good that young people were "engaged in the issues that affect them", but that the protest "wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for."

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First Published: Feb 15 2019 | 8:40 PM IST

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