Schoolchildren marching through Cambridge city centre during a climate change protest this summer (Picture: PA)

Young activists who have been taking part in school strikes over the climate crisis will be joined by adults when they walk out on Friday.

The entire city of Oxford – and surrounding areas in Oxfordshire – will go on strike to draw attention to the environment and call for the government to act.

Being hailed the UK’s ‘first general strike since 1926’, those taking part say that for the first time school children will strike together with adults to ‘take action against climate breakdown’.

Those in Oxford join towns and cities in more than 150 countries holding strikes on Friday, inspired and supported by teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.




Student EJ Fawcett, 17, told Metro.co.uk: ‘We’ve been doing youth strikes for the past seven months now and more people than ever before are noticing but not enough is being done quick enough to make an impact.

‘We were sick of the government ignoring the crisis and we know that no-one listens to young people in the same way that they listen to adults. So we decided “alright then, we’ll get the adults involved too”.

‘We are calling on everyone and anyone who can to walk out with us on Friday and demand action on climate change.’

The Oxford UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) is encouraging all adults to join their global strike for climate change (Picture: Hugh Warwick/UK Student Climate Network)

School children have been striking for months – now they want adults to join them (Picture: EPA)

It’s hoped a global strike on Friday will grab the attention of world leaders (Picture: PA)

EJ said more than 1,000 people have said they will join the protest in Oxford on the event’s Facebook page and at a previous event organised by Extinction Rebellion a large number of adults said they wanted to get involved.

They added: ‘I want to be the generation that chooses to live. We have nothing to lose if we act, but everything to lose if we don’t.

‘We are nearly out of time, the government has to act or we will all suffer.’

The young activists leading the way are made up of Youth Strike 4 Climate and UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) members, ‘but many are just individuals trying to make a change’.

Joseph Johns, 18, said: ‘It’s time that it wasn’t just the world’s youth taking action against climate crisis, everyone is needed.’

The UKSCN march begins in Broad Street, Oxford, at 11am and is supported by Earth strike UK, Extinction Rebellion, and several trade unions.

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