The latest youth climate march will kick off today in Brussels, with tens of thousands of young people expected to descend upon the city calling for action on climate change. Today's demonstration, which will be joined by Swedish 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, is the 7th time the group has taken to the streets for a Thursday protest.
"We are still told that we have to sit at school while our planet and our future is being destroyed," said a Facebook event for the march. "We can not just sit back and do nothing! As long as politicians do not act, we will continue to make our voices heard every Thursday," it adds.
The demonstration will start at Brussels-Nord at 1 pm and will progress through the city, finishing at Brussels-Midi at around 3 pm. Traffic routes are expected to be altered between this time to avoid the march.
Thunberg rose to prominence in August 2018, protesting each week outside her country’s parliament to draw attention to climate change. Her actions have gone on to inspire movements across Europe, including Anuna De Wever and Kyra Gantois, the two Flemish activists who spearheaded the launch of the Youth for Climate initiative in Belgium.
The first march, on 10 January, drew about 3,000 students. Each week since, this movement to save the planet has kept growing, attaining a record 35,000 participants on 24 January. The demonstrations continue to draw crowds, with an average of about 10,000 committed youths hitting the streets of the capital each Thursday.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
