BERLIN (AP) — Thousands of students skipped school Friday to take to the streets of the German capital as part of a growing worldwide youth movement urging governments to take more action against climate change.
Carrying signs with slogans like “I want snow for Christmas” and “The climate is changing, why aren’t we?” the demonstrators gathered in a park near Berlin’s main train station to march through the government district.
Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who inspired the protests in Germany and elsewhere by staging weekly “school strikes,” is scheduled to address the crowd in person later at the landmark Brandenburg Gate.
The 16-year-old is also meeting with scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, just outside the German capital.
The weekly “Fridays for Future” protests have been largely welcomed by German politicians, although some have criticized students for protesting during school time.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the protests “a very good initiative.”
The Berlin climate change rally was one of more than 20 being held around the country.
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