Protestors march through Galway City for climate justice
Protest to fight against the 21st century climate crisis
By Laura Hannot
Around sixty people gathered on the streets of Galway today to march for climate justice. They were chanting slogans like “Whose future, our future! Whose planet, our planet!” or “What do we want? Climate justice!”
The strike, in support of the international climate crisis, walked from Eye Square to the Spanish Arch and back.
Organised by the Environmental and Sustainable Officer of the Student Union, Malena Thren, the group of protesters walked through Galway city.
They called for more actions to make the city environmentally friendly.
“The city does not have enough bins, we need more,” says Malena through her microphone.
Malena wants to show that the new generation cares about the future of the world.
“I’m not here to pick fights, but I have to,” says Malena, in protest of the inaction of the Council to make the city more climate-friendly.
Organisers denounced a city made for cars where bike use is too dangerous. Malena says that “[…] many bicycle lanes stop abruptly in the middle of the roads”.
Lack of response from the Council?
Malena says she has made several attempts to talk to someone from the City Council but she never had any responses.
Furthermore, she saw a lack of answers and commitment from the Council, with political decisions being too slow.
She calls for more green spaces, sustainable accommodations, a pedestrian city and stronger laws against lobbyism.
“We need to listen more to what people have to say, especially younger generations because we are the ones who will live on this planet,” says Malena.
Diverse organisations
Many organisations joined the protest. The Green party with Cllr Niall Murphy from Galway City Council marched with the protest.
“The protest is, I suppose in a way, against the Government […] and it’s important these kinds of demonstration happen to keep the government in check,” says Cllr Niall Murphy.
People Before Profit representative, Adrian Curran, was also walking down the streets of Galway. “The real change is not gonna come from the Dáil, and definitely not from the Green Party, it will come from the streets, from the people”.
