Fridays for Future strikers around the world shared their demands for bold climate action online Friday as many youth activists heeded public health experts’ recommendations in the face of the coronavirus pandemic by eschewing public protests in favor of digital demonstrations.
The online displays followed the call earlier this week from school strike for climate pioneer Greta Thunberg to #ClimateStrikeOnline.
In a Friday tweet as Thunberg marked her 82nd week of school strikes, she reiterated the basis for her call.
“In a crisis we change our behaviour and adapt to the new circumstances for the greater good of society,” she wrote.
Other activists took to Twitter to share their online strikes as well:
Am I ill today?
Yes!
Am I on climate strike?
For public safety, I am doing a #ClimateStrikeOnline/#DigitalStrike, so yes! #COVID_19 isn’t stopping us!
Day 109 of #SaveCongoRainforest @vanessa_vash
This would be Bournemouth’s 13th #FridaysForFuture strike @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/W6a3nFZP4D— Natalia_Blichowska_mała_activiska (@e_thunter) March 13, 2020
#ClimateStrikeOnline
In the face of a crisis we act according to science and fact.
In the face of the the novel coronavirus pandemic it is important that we all take care of ourselves and others and reduce risk. That is why I am joining the #FridaysForFuture digital strike pic.twitter.com/TUNpFdC2ZZ— Isabelle Axelsson (@isabelle_ax) March 13, 2020
School strike week 61.
Let us treat every crisis like what it is! Take care of yourselves
#ClimateStrikeOnline #schoolstrike4climate #fridaysforfuture #climatestrike #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/MrtgP0vIum— Vanessa Nakate (@vanessa_vash) March 13, 2020
#digitalstrike #ClimateStrikeOnline
Still standing up for the climate but doing it safely inside. Remember Sisi Ni Sawa – We Are One please no one should use this virus as a reason to call out and be rude to anyone or any nation we are all in this together @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/qt7vS1JW7m— Lillys Plastic Pickup (@lillyspickup) March 13, 2020
This month we aren’t striking on the streets due to COV19
But that doesn’t change that climate change is real,& we need long term solutions to commit to tackling it!
Let’s #strikefromhomeJoin us! #DigitalStrike #ClimateStrikeOnline #COVIDー19 @fridays_india @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/iNQVCkYoz7
— Aman Sharma (@Amansha24) March 13, 2020
Thunberg and other youth climate leaders amplified the call for the change in tactic amid the novel coronavirus with a video shared early Friday in which they stressed that “the climate crisis cannot be forgotten, nor ignored.”
“I think what is happening in society with the #coronavirus is a glimpse into the future of climate change,” wrote New York City-based Fridays for Future organizer Alexandria Villaseñor in Twitter thread Thursday. “We activists have a lot to learn from this moment.”
“This is more than a health crisis, this is a crisis about feeling safe in so many ways,” Villaseñor added. “The rapidly changing news is causing so much anxiety. Let’s be here for each other.”