Greta Thunberg’s UK rally could grow so large that standard safety measures to protect demonstrators ‘may not be adequate’, police and local officials warn
- Climate activist Greta Thunberg will address a large-scale protest in Bristol
- The City Council and police warned the public not to underestimate its size
- Officials warned children may not be safe at the Youth Strike 4 Climate protest
Children may not be safe at a large-scale protest to be addressed by climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg tomorrow, the authorities have warned.
In a joint statement Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police cautioned the public: ‘Do not underestimate the scale of this protest.’
It said officials are expecting the event to be ‘significantly larger’ than any other protests in the past year.
Because of this, measures usually put into place to ensure safety ‘may not be adequate, especially for primary school children’, the statement added.
Children may not be safe at a large-scale protest to be addressed by climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg tomorrow, the authorities have warned
As a result, parents have been urged to ‘consider their arrangements carefully’ and ‘make their own informed decisions’.
Miss Thunberg is expected to give a speech on College Green in the centre of Bristol at 11am before joining a Youth Strike 4 Climate protest march around the city.
The teenage climate activist is among those tipped for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize – along with pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong and the NATO military alliance – following nominations by politicians.
Also on the list, according to the eight members of the United States Congress who nominated her, is imprisoned Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul.
Thunberg, 17, famous for launching her School Strike for the Climate campaign that has spread around much of the world, is the bookmakers’ favourite to win, according to betting firm Paddypower.
Miss Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai were pictured together this week at the University of Oxford, where Malala, as she is best known, is a student
Although nominated last year, the 2019 prize went to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his peacemaking efforts which ended two decades of hostility with longtime enemy Eritrea.
The Swede would be the second youngest person to win a Nobel, beaten only by Malala Yousafzai, who was a few months younger at the time of her 2014 award for promoting children’s right to education.
The two activists were pictured together this week at the University of Oxford, where Malala, as she is best known, is a student.