Protest sign, with slogan ‘Keep it Cool’, used at the youth strike against climate change, London, 15 March 2019

Protest sign, with slogan ‘Keep it Cool’, used by Bella May to protest at the youth strike against climate change in London on Friday 15 March 2019.

On Friday 15 March 2019, Bella May was one of an estimated 10,000 young people who attended the youth strike against climate change in London. This was just one of 2000 protests that took place that day in over 100 countries worldwide, under the banner Fridays for Future. Young people of all ages, some accompanied by parents and teachers, others attending alone or with groups of friends, walked out of school, college and university in order to express their anger that their concerns about climate change – which they know will profoundly affect their futures – are not taken seriously by governments, companies and older generations.

The school strike movement began in summer 2018 in Sweden, when 16-year-old Greta Thunberg began missing school on Fridays to campaign outside the Swedish parliament. At first she was a lone protester, but her actions helped to inspire a global movement. Prior to the global youth strike on 15 March 2019, protests had already taken place across the world, with a school strike in the UK on the previous month on 15 February.

Bella May attended the protest with three friends.