Patti Smith joins Greta Thunberg for final school climate strike
American punk poet pioneer Patti Smith has appeared at climate activist Greta Thunberg’s last-ever school strike in Stockholm.
While on tour, the singer stopped by Thunberg’s school to join the protest, which has occurred every Friday for the past 251 weeks. However, Thunberg has ended her weekly school strikes as she graduates.
She wrote on Twitter: “School strike week 251. Today, I graduate from school, which means I’ll no longer be able to school strike for the climate.”
Thunberg added: “When I started striking in 2018, I could never have expected that it would lead to anything. After striking every day for three weeks, we were a small group of children who decided to continue doing this every Friday. And we did, which is how Fridays For Future was formed”.
The activist explained: “We who can speak up have a duty to do so. In order to change everything, we need everyone. I’ll continue to protest on Fridays, even though it’s not technically ‘school striking’. We simply have no other option than to do everything we possibly can. The fight has only just begun.”
Smith took to Instagram to share her support for the young climate protestor. She shared a series of photos, including one where she stood next to Thunberg holding a ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ flag.
“This is Greta Thunberg, faithfully taking her Friday School Strike for Climate Action. She graduates today, and we extend our gratitude and congratulations,” Smith wrote.
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