Alice Knight explains what it was like attending Greta Thunberg’s first climate change protest in the UK
Yesterday marked 300 days since England was thrown into its first national coronavirus lockdown, with the country now in its third.
It’s beginning to feel like we’ve been in lockdown for years, so it can be strange to look back on those memories of a time when we were free.
BRISTOL, England– 28th February 2020, 3:06pm
17-year-old Greta Thunberg was welcomed by chants of “Greta, Greta” as she addressed around 30,000 people at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate (BYS4C) event.
People were clinging to any vantage point they could find: on tiptoes in front of the cathedral and leaning out of the balconies in front of the Marriott Royal.
“We are the change, and change is coming whether you like it or not”: Her speech was punctuated with roars of approval echoing across the green, especially when mentioning the decision not to grant Bristol Airport planning permission to expand.
I remember it was raining heavily, some people had umbrellas propped open, some using their newly painted signs as cover. It was hard to see the floor of College Green.
Everyone was crammed together and it soon turned into a mud bath; days later, a fundraiser began for repairs at the protest site and reached almost £14,000 in a few days.
College Green: Today // Friday.
— BBC Radio Bristol (@bbcrb) March 2, 2020
Much of the grass has recovered after the @GretaThunberg speech and strike in #Bristol pic.twitter.com/mwyt8mImy1
I was hungover (of course), and immediately regretted the decision to wear white trainers to this loud and muddy protest. She was absolutely inspiring though, it was the first UK-based climate protest to host Greta and I felt like I was watching history unfold.
Even hours later, Bristol as a whole seemed to come to a standstill; it was packed on the way home to Bristol Temple Meads, with protesters happily marching home together.
We weren’t really worried about coronavirus then. It was before lockdowns and face-masks. We were watching on from the UK, at the balcony singing in Northern Italy and frightening lockdowns across China.
As the coronavirus worldwide death toll last week reached 2 million, there’s fewer tourists and signs of less pollution. Venice’s waters are now clear, lions on roads typically used by South African safaris, and in California’s Yosemite National Park, bears wander around empty accommodation.
We’re only in the first few weeks of 2021 and in another lockdown. With Glastonbury’s 50th-anniversary festival looking like it’s going to be cancelled and other concerts following suit.
I often find myself looking back at photos. Smiling faces look back at me; if only I could tell myself what I would miss on.
