Over 12,000 Belgian students skip school for climate protest

Over 12,500 students gathered in Brussels on Thursday, skipping school for the second week in a row to march for the climate.

The protest was over four times as large as last week’s, according to Belgian paper De Standaard.

Images from the protest show students walking in the rain to the European Parliament, carrying banners and signs calling for action on global warming in both English and Flemish.

“Skipping school? No. We fight for our future,” one sign read, according to The Associated Press. 

{mosads}One director of a local school lauded the student activists, telling De Standaard that the demonstrations show the positive effect education has had.

“Education has to turn youngsters into mature citizens,” Patrick Lancksweerdt said, according to the AP. “By their actions, they proved that they are.”

The protest mimics similar climate movements by students in other countries. One of the most notable young activists is Greta Thunberg, a Swedish 16-year-old who began a strike in front of Swedish parliament last year and has inspired thousands of others to do the same.

Last month, she addressed world leaders at a United Nations conference on climate change. 

The Belgian students are hoping to protest again next week, according to the reports.