The City of London space wasn’t big enough so teen climate change alarmist Greta Thunberg changed cities. The Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate event was held Friday and the entire Bristol city centre was shut down to accommodate the rally. As happens with large crowds, the total number of participants varies. Police and security people say that about 15,000 attended while Ms. Thunberg says the number was more like 30,000.
It’s week 80 of Thunberg’s Fridays for Future marches. Wednesday Avon and Somerset Police warned that the crowd was expected to be large since it was promoted on social media by supporters. They were concerned about public safety. Safety concerns don’t seem to have deterred Thunberg’s devoted fans. Parents brought children along – the indoctrination into this movement starts at a very young age.
Avon and Somerset Police say they expect thousands of people at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate on College Green on Friday to hear the 17-year-old climate activist speak.
The force said there was “potential for trips, slips, falls and crushing”.
Parents and carers were advised to make their own safety arrangements.
The Swedish climate change campaigner tweeted over the weekend that she would be taking part in the city’s youth protest.
But in a letter addressed to parents of school-age children, Supt Andy Bennett said the force was “unable to accurately predict how large this event will be”.
” Social media has gone viral with interest which leads me to believe it will be thousands of people,” he wrote.
Pictured: Empty streets as Bristol city centre cleared for Greta Thunberg visit https://t.co/ue1ETDcEEe pic.twitter.com/RAAoDnqA4M
— Bristol Biz (@BristolBizz) February 28, 2020
The Mayor of Bristol welcomed Greta to the city.
Welcome @GretaThunberg & all the young people who’ve come to #Bristol today
We’re a city at the forefront of action on climate & social justice & have just launched our Climate Strategy with the urgent action needed to achieve #CarbonNeutrality by 2030: https://t.co/xqFEPuYdPZ pic.twitter.com/Cr16zxIJp2
— Marvin Rees (@MarvinJRees) February 28, 2020
Greta’s message was the same as it always is – the world is on fire and we’re all going to die, or something. According to her, adults are children and children are the adults in the room.
Tens of thousands of people, many of them children skipping school, braved heavy rain to join a climate strike headed by Greta Thunberg in Bristol city centre.
The vast crowd fell silent as the 17-year-old activist told them governments were acting like children and so it fell to young people to be “the adults in the room”.
Criticising governments and the media, she said: “Once again they sweep their mess under the rug for us – young people, their children – to clean up for them. We must continue and we have to be patient. Remember that the changes required will not happen overnight.”
She told them: “We will not be silenced because we are the change, and change is coming whether you like it or not. This emergency is being completely ignored by the politicians, the media and those in power.
“Basically, nothing is being done to halt this crisis despite all the beautiful words and promises from our elected officials. So what did you do during this crucial time? I will not be silenced when the world is on fire.”
Like any petulant teenager, she may tell her fans to be patient but she is the one demanding immediate changes, most of which are impossible unless the world’s economy is destroyed. There is nothing patient about her. For example, she told the crowd she was happy about a recent decision of the Bristol councillors to reject plans to expand Bristol’s airport. She has said she wants air travel eliminated in past interviews so this opinion would fit with that wish. Greta traveled to Bristol by train and was driven in an electric car to the event.
Greta Thunberg leads the climate strike march around the city #GretaThunberg bristol #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/wHAtiksTy4
— BBC West Live (@BBCBristol) February 28, 2020
Thunberg’s Friday marches have become her personal mission and her family is trademarking the phrase she uses on her protest signs – Skolstrejk för klimatet (school strike for climate). Greta says the reason is because people are selling products with her slogan and impersonating her to gain access to high profile people. She’s protecting her brand.
Ms Thunberg also announced she has set up a non-profit foundation to handle the financial side of #FridaysForFuture.
It will manage money raised from donations and book royalties.
“The foundation’s aim will be to promote ecological, climatic and social sustainability as well as mental health,” she told her Instagram followers.
The march was hard on Mother Earth, as it turns out. One man is setting up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to replant grass on College Green, where the rally was held. The protesters “left a muddy quagmire” behind.
