Several thousand join Swiss climate strikes
Several thousand people have taken part in climate strikes in various Swiss cities, with many protesting that this should be "Green Friday instead of Black Friday".
Protesting against the consumerism of the big discount day, slogans included "Black Friday - Black Future" and "consumerism destroys the world".
The biggest demonstration took place in Zurich, where several thousand people marched through the city centre, but hundreds also took to the streets in cities such as Basel, Bern and Lausanne. Turnout was nevertheless lower than for previous Friday “climate strikes”, perhaps owing to the wet weather.
Around 750 participants took part in the climate demonstration in Basel. In the federal capital Bern, several hundred mostly young people took part in a rally at noon calling for effective climate measures and more restraint on consumption. They hailed the EU Parliament’s declaration on Thursday of a climate emergency for Europe, and called on Swiss legislators to do more for the environment.
The climate strikes are a global phenomenon inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Friday's movement kicked off in Sydney Australia. These fresh rallies come ahead of a new international climate summit (COP 25) that starts on Monday in Madrid.
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