Guest essay by Eric Worrall

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has appeared to voice support for German students abandoning their lessons and attending climate change demonstrations.

Climate change: Angela Merkel welcomes school strikes



2 March 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she supports school students’ protests about climate change.



It appears to contradict some education officials, who have criticised participants for skipping school and threatened them with exclusion.

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What did Merkel say?



In a video released on her official website, Angela Merkel said protecting the climate was a “challenge that people can only tackle together” (in German).



Asked about the Friday school strikes, which in Germany have been dubbed “Fridays for Future”, Ms Merkel said the country’s climate goals could only be reached with the support of wider society.



“So I very much welcome that young people, school students, demonstrate and tell us to do something fast about climate change,” she said.



“I think it is a very good initiative,” she added, without making reference to the fact that they were protesting during school hours.