Two teenage climate activists joining forces with Greta Thunberg for the Bristol school strike tomorrow have insisted the protest is ‘more important’ than their education.
Lily Fitzgibbon and Milly Sibson, both 17 and from the city, are leading Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate tomorrow, and the 17-year-old Swedish activist will visit the UK to attend.
The duo appeared on This Morning today, where they spoke highly of Thunberg and insisted her activism is not born out of ego or a desire to be a ‘leader’.
They admitted they only had eight days to plan the protest, after Thunberg personally got in touch with them.
Students Lily Fitzgibbon (right) and Milly Sibson,(left) both 17, from Bristol, who planned Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate, appeared on This Morning today
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 17, (pictured) will come to the UK to speak at the strike tomorrow
‘She seemed so humble,’ said Lily of Thunberg. ‘Not full of herself. She’s doing this for the message, it’s not about ego at all.
‘She has no interest in being this leader. She is a figurehead for the movement, but that’s because we find her inspirational. She wants to be a striker like everyone else.’
As for missing school, the pair said that while they both want to ‘succeed educationally’ and are planning to head to university, they feel that the strike is ‘more important’.
Lily said: ‘They’re as supportive as they can be. They’re not always allowed to authorise absences, but obviously your parents are allowed to take you out of school.
They told that Greta had ‘no ego’ and just wants to be a ‘striker like everyone else’. She is pictured at the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
‘It helps that we keep up with our school work, we catch up. We’re both going to university soon.
‘We do want to succeed educationally as well, we just think that this is more important.’
Thunberg had originally contacted the London charter of the group, however after only offering eight-days to plan the strike, she turned to the Bristol group to plan the protest.
Lily told: ‘She actually got in contact with me directly at first, and then her team did. So she knew she was coming to the UK and she’d been in contact with the group in London. But they didn’t have the capacity to organise a strike for her in eight days.
Milly told that while the pair want to succeed in their education they feel the protest is ‘more important’ than their education
Lily revealed that they only had eight-days to plant the protest after Thunberg personally got in contact
‘So she then got my number from them and texted me last Thursday. We have been working round the clock ever since, because normally you have a month for these things.’
The activists insisted that Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate is a ‘completely separate organisation’ to Extinction Rebellion, and told that while they receive support from the group, they wish to create a ‘safe space’ for young people to protest.
Milly said: ‘We’re a completely separate organisation. We do receive their support, but for the youth climate strikes we ask them to leave their logos.
‘It’s more that we share the same goal and share the same message, but we want young people to know this is more of a safe space where you can share your views.’
The pair insisted that while they’re missing a day of school, they feel the ‘bigger picture’ surrounding climate change is more important
The pair insisted that while they’re missing a day of school, they feel the ‘bigger picture’ surrounding climate change is more important.
Milly said: ‘Us personally, we have to think about our futures and the climate is deteriorating as we speak.
‘Maybe we’re not noticing it yet in the UK, other places are seeing the affects of climate change right now. So for us, we’re thinking about the affects on the world and the future.
‘So the fact we’re missing a day of school, which we can catch up on, it feels like it’s for the bigger picture.’