Schoolchildren as young as nine continue school time climate change protest

Schoolchildren from across Calderdale joined to continue their protest against the Government's climate change laws this morning - and vowed to make it a weekly event.
Schoolchildren from Calderdale have joined to continue their fight for a change to environmental laws.Schoolchildren from Calderdale have joined to continue their fight for a change to environmental laws.
Schoolchildren from Calderdale have joined to continue their fight for a change to environmental laws.

The protest in Hebden Bridge - which follows several similar events in recent weeks and thousand worldwide - saw 16 youngsters miss school in order to make their feelings known.

Together with other movements across the globe, they hope to pile pressure on the Government to change environmental laws as the climate change crisis continues to escalate.

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They've mobilised as 'School Strike Calderdale' and going forward intend to organise the protests themselves, led by Isla Lay, 12, and Leela Guha, 13.

Isla Lay, 12, helped organise today's protest.Isla Lay, 12, helped organise today's protest.
Isla Lay, 12, helped organise today's protest.

The group even has its own newly-appointed press officer, Daisy Miles, aged 11.

Daisy said: "The Government isn't doing enough to stop climate change. This is our way of saying we need change."

Whilst some schools across the borough have supported the protest, most have threatened children with 'unauthorised absence' marks for time spent protesting in school hours.

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Mother May Molteno, who has helped to organise previous protests in Calderdale, said: "It's great that the kids have taken this on themselves.

"They've worked hard on this and in the face of the schools saying that they will be marked as unauthorised, it shows how serious they are."