Star date: 20th September 2019

"We ask you to join us and take action now, and make a change for the better – let us fight for our future together..." Lucia and Ted, Walkden primary school pupils.

Over one hundred people, including pupils from three Salford schools, joined trade unions, councillors, the Salford MP and activists in a Climate Strike rally outside Swinton Civic Centre this afternoon. 

Meanwhile thousands of mainly young people held a rally and marched through Manchester to mark the global climate day of action.

Full details and photos here...

This afternoon in Salford, over one hundred people marked the Global Climate Strike with a rally outside the Civic Centre, encapsulated by the words of Ted and Lucia, eco champions at Christ the King RC Primary School in Walkden...

"This climate change is putting our friends' lives across the world in danger and it is affecting our access to health, food, water, clean air and education" said Lucia "We need to live on our planet without making a mess of it and to keep it magnificent for our families, our friends and ourselves. We need to change now."

Ted read out a list of words beginning with 'R' that every year in the school has taken on and acted out, from 'recycle' to 'renew', so that pupils can "begin to repair the damage done to our common home and global neighbours"...

At the end of their speech, which brought loud cheers, they underlined the point... "We ask you to join us and take action now, make a change for the better – let us fight for our future together".

Previously, Steven North, Branch Secretary of Salford City UNISON, talked about young people leading the way and "dragging the rest of us behind them...it's up to us to catch up".

He brought the point home by emphasising that the actual grounds outside the Civic Centre are one of the worst places for air pollution in the whole country..."The air that we're breathing is worse than anywhere else within the UK" he explained "We've got an obligation to sort that out. It is a very real problem here in Salford as well as around the world."

Salford Youth Mayor, Mitchell Mullen, insisted that young people will 'drag older people behind us'... "We're making them listen to us by walking out, demonstrating and protesting" he said "Young people have a responsibility to tell the Council that they have to change this; that they have to do something about it, not just say they're going to do something and not act on it."

Representing Salford Council was Planning Lead Member, Councillor Derek Antrobus, who had to defend his eco credentials when challenged by Independent Councillor Darren Goulden at yesterday's full Council meeting (see here).

Today he "saluted" children and young people from Salford schools Christ The King, St Peter's C of E Primary School in Swinton and the Swinton Co-op Academy, who attended the rally, and argued that, for anything to change in the Climate Change Emergency – declared recently by the Council - social justice had to prevail.

Councillor Antrobus explained that it was the poorer areas of the city that had the least tree cover and the most floods..."Until we tackle inequalities we will not tackle climate change" he insisted.

It was theme picked up by the final speaker, Salford and Eccles MP, and Shadow Energy Secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, who argued that "If we don't take radical action, not just to tackle climate change but to restructure our entire economy, we're not going to have a future.

"Be under no illusions" she added "The same people who loaded the costs of the banking crisis onto the backs of the poor, will load the human and financial costs of the climate crisis onto the backs of our most vulnerable here in Salford. That's why it's important for us to stand up and demand climate justice."

The rally ended with everyone forming a giant 'E' for 'Emergency' on the lawn of the Civic Centre.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, thousands of mainly young people joined the Global Climate Strike with a full day of action, beginning with a rally in St Peter's Square, then a march to the former retail park site of Mothercare on Great Ancoats Street. Here, Manchester City Council wants to turn the space into a car park, while activists want the space to be converted into a park.

The climate activists occupied the space and held a 'die-in', while others blocked off the road, before marching back to St Peter's Square, with chants ranging from 'Turn off your engines', aimed at car and bus drivers, to 'Hey, ho, climate change has got to go'...

It was a sentiment echoed throughout the world today...

Main photo shows Ted and Lucia