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Students all over the UK skipped school today to protest against the last of social awareness surrounding climate change. 

A rally in Birmingham attracted hundreds of pupils as schools up and down the country were missing young people, who decided to attend Youth Climate Change marches instead.

Students gather outside the Birmingham Council House as part of global Climate Strike protestsEmily Lowes
Students gather outside the Birmingham Council House as part of global Climate Strike protests

Over 300 people attended the march and demonstration in Birmingham’s Victoria Square, where students took to the microphone to share messages of disapproval about the lack of government initiative to tackle climate change.

The protest comes just over a month after the last national school strike for climate change, which took place on February 11th 2019, with thousands of school students taking part in a mass walkout.

Students gather outside the Birmingham Council House as part of global Climate Strike protestsEmily Lowes
Students gather outside the Birmingham Council House as part of global Climate Strike protests
Hundreds of students gather in Victoria Square, Birmingham for Climate Strike UKPauline Roche
Hundreds of students gather in Victoria Square, Birmingham for Climate Strike UK

Members of UK Youth Climate Change Coalition, Extinction Rebellion and Climate Action Network were also in attendance.

Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, spoke to the strikers. He said, “We’ve got a target for reducing CO2 emissions by 2027 by 60%. We’ve introduced the Clean Air Zone, we’re currently consulting on the clean air strategy.  We’ve got the Birmingham energy plan coming shortly.”

“[The students] need to continue lobbying us and lobbying national politicians to ensure each and every decision we take, we think about how it will impact on our environment.”

A follow-up march and protest is expected to take place at the end of this month, on March 30.

GCSE student Jess Ranford spoke to us…

MPs and councillors took to Twitter to show support 

Additional reporting by Pauline Roche.

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