Paris: 40,000 climate protesters dodge riotous ′yellow vests′ | News | DW | 16.03.2019

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Paris: 40,000 climate protesters dodge riotous 'yellow vests'

More than 40,000 people have rallied in the streets of the French capital, a day after a global student march against climate change. Unlike the yellow vest reboot which turned ugly, the environment march was peaceful.

Paris climate protesters wave banners (Reuters/C. Platiau)

Nationwide protests across France against government inaction on climate change drew more than 350,000 people across 220 towns and cities on Saturday, organizers said.

The main rally through the center of Paris brought out some 45,000 campaigners, police said, while organizers put the figure at 107,000.

The march coincided with the return of the 'yellow vest' movement, whose so-called ultimatum rally saw violence break out and one of France's richest neighborhoods torched. 

Read more: France to introduce plastic packaging tax

The environmental rally, however, was a peaceful affair and saw French movie stars, families, activists and politicians turn out.

Gloomy warnings

Many protesters sang songs and held hands, while others carried signs reading "There is no Planet B" and "Dinosaurs also thought they had time."

Paris climate protesters (Reuters/C. Platiau)

Some 45,000 people marched from Paris' famed Opera Garnier to the Republic Plaza

"We are here to demonstrate against the inaction on climate change ... and against the multi-billionaires in their ivory towers," 18-year-old drama student Pierre-Loup Meriaux told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Dozens of other climate rallies took place across France on Saturday including Lyon, Marseille, and Nantes.

The protests followed the formal launch of legal action this week by Greenpeace, Oxfam and two French environmental groups against the French state over its response to global warming.

The groups launched a campaign called "The Affair of the Century" in December, and have since garnered more than 2 million signatures to an online climate petition.

Macron's commitment questioned

  • School children shout slogans during a strike and protest by students highlighting inadequate progress to address climate change in Sydney on March 15, 2019. - Thousands of young people marched through cities in Asia kicking off a global day of student protests that aims to spark world leaders into action on climate change.

    Student climate strikes go global

    'If you don't act like adults, we will'

    Thousands of students walked out of class in Sydney, kicking off global protests on Friday. They got the attention they wanted. Some Australian politicians hit back with criticism. "For action on issues that they think is important, they should do that after school or on weekends," said Education Minister Dan Tehan.

  • Students march through the streets during a strike to raise climate change awareness on March 15, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand.

    Student climate strikes go global

    Students bring grown-ups into line

    Protesters in New Zealand invited adults to join the march. "If we go on strike on a school day, then they'll notice and they might want to do something," said 14-year-old student Inese, who didn't want to give her full name. And her prime minister is listening. Jacinda Ardern supports the strikes and has pledged NZ$100 million (€60 million/$68 million) to cut greenhouse gases.

  • Students take part in a protest against climate change in Hong Kong on March 15, 2019, as part of a global movement called #FridaysForFuture.

    Student climate strikes go global

    Truth to power

    The movement has snowballed since 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg began skipping school to protest in front of parliament last August. On March 15, her protest spread from Vanuatu to Hong Kong (pictured here), Tashkent to Madagascar. In Thailand, one of the world's top plastic polluters, students campaigned against single-use plastics.

  • South Korean students participate in a Climate Strike rally on March 15, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea.

    Student climate strikes go global

    Seoul to Singapore

    From Seoul to Singapore, each city's students spoke out in their own way. Here in South Korea, 100 students held signs saying "Too warm 4 school" and "Don't deny climate change." In Singapore, strict laws regulate public assembly so young people planned a virtual campaign on social media.

  • Indian school students protest climate change (picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Qadri)

    Student climate strikes go global

    'To educate adults'

    In India, protests were seen in 36 different cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Students in New Delhi chanted slogans demanding the Indian government stop using coal and act against climate change and air pollution.

  • Youths show their hands bearing the inscriptions Our future in your hands during the Fridays For Future movement on a global day of student protests aiming to spark world leaders into action on climate change on March 15, 2019 in Berlin.

    Student climate strikes go global

    Berlin takes matters into its own hands

    While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported the movement, some German students are still afraid to skip school. But not all. Protests were planned for 200 cities across the country. In the German capital, the crowds were huge by midday.

  • Fridays for future students strike in Cologne.

    Student climate strikes go global

    Braving the storm

    In the western German city of Cologne, students braved the wet weather. Massive storms have recently battered that part of the country, though they only appeared to fan the flames of the students' protest.

  • Greta Thunberg in Stockholm

    Student climate strikes go global

    Swedish inspiration

    Greta Thunberg (center) led one of the many protests in Sweden. She said she was excited that protests had spread to 2,052 places in 123 countries. Asked if adults should strike too, she replied: "It's up to them, if they want their kids to have a future."

  • Students in Cape Town, South Africa take part in a protest

    Student climate strikes go global

    'Denial is not a policy'

    Students in South African cities, including Cape Town and Pretoria, joined in the school strike. Africa, with more than 1 billion people, is expected to be hardest hit by global warming even though it contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions.

  • USA Schüler protestieren für Klima (picture-alliance/Pacific Press/G. Holtermann-Gorden)

    Student climate strikes go global

    Strike across the US

    Strikes were held by students in cities across the country, including New York, Washington, Chicago, Portland, Oregon and St. Paul, Minnesota. In June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the 2015 Paris agreement on mitigating climate change.

  • Students hold a demonstration to protest against climate change in Montreal

    Student climate strikes go global

    Guterres: 'My generation has failed'

    Montreal drew among the largest crowds, estimated by organizers at nearly 150,000. The global movement saw a response from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he was inspired by the climate strikers to call a special summit in September to deal with "the climate emergency."

    Author: Tom Allinson


Many environmental activists think French President Emmanuel Macron's government isn't ambitious enough in cutting carbon emissions despite scientific proof that current levels of greenhouse gases are unsustainable.

Read more: Climate change: Governments don't act? We do!

His passionate call this week to speed up the global fight against climate change did little to placate them.

Macron sees himself as a guarantor of the 2015 Paris climate accordand has stood up firmly to skepticism from US President Donald Trump.

Watch video 02:28

Students go on global strike for the future of the planet

Many of those protesting on Saturday were young people, some of whom had already marched the previous day in a youth protest for climate change action.

On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people skipped school to take part in the global student climate demonstration inspired by 16-year-old Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.

mm/aw (AFP, AP)

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