Fridays for Future : 10,000 people expected for the big demo in Berlin News

Franziska Wessel, 15-year-old high school student from Steglitz-Zehlendorf, actually has no time. She is the main representative of the Berlin branch office of the "Fridays for Future"(FFF), the students for three months, motivated to go on Fridays to school and to demonstrate instead for better climate protection.

This Friday we go again, and true: students around the world, in 170 German cities and in 100 countries of the world go by on the street. It will be the largest international climate strike so far, alone in Berlin were notified to the authority Meeting, 5000 protesters, "Fridays for Future" expects 10.000.

And this time, the students are also not alone, you now have to get coverage from more than 19,000 in science learning in German-speaking countries, which have joined under the name "Scientists for the Future", to support the school strikes. At the big demo in Berlin, the final signature list of "Scientists for Future is passed to" on "Fridays for Future". "That means us really much, this is essential for this movement," says Franziska.

"It can't be that the policy does nothing"

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The movement has caused quite a stir: Should students prefer to go to school and in their free time demonstrate? Understand children really how politics works? What do you want specifically?

As she speaks with the daily mirror, sits Franziska Wessel on the train, she just got back from Strasbourg On Monday and Tuesday she was with "Fridays for Future" in the EU Parliament, the young people were invited by the Greens, the Left and the social Democrats. "There we have a room available to coordinate with the representatives of the movement within the EU," she says. At this Meeting, about 60 FFF-representatives from 20 countries, between 10 and 25 years old the Kids are.

Franziska Wessel from Zehlendorf is, since January at Fridays for the Future.Photo: Felix Hackenbruch

Wessel is since January in the case of FFF, writes E-Mails, conducts telephone conferences, organized by technology and stages for Demos. Have all started, as you learned in school about climate change. "In class we have dealt with the Worst that climate change exists and that it is man-made, but not really what it means, what the implications are", writes Wessel.

Together with their parents, they have decided to live a year or so of a climate-neutral as possible. After the year you have found that each Individual could do something, but it needs to happen much more. "In Germany, we would have to emit per Person per year is two tonnes of CO2 – on average, we emit but per Person of eleven tons. That's pretty frightening,“ says the activist. "Everyone has to start, clearly, but it may also be that the policy does nothing".

What you want to achieve, the young people of the "Fridays for Future" specifically? "The first step is that the Federal government fails to comply with the climate targets of Paris. So far, it does not do so. The government must not abdicate the responsibility for it,“ says Wessel. "I don't know at all, what are they thinking!".

The policy also take care of more, tells you, for example, some representatives of the movement were invited by the economic Minister Peter Altmaier. "But I find it quite a pity that we had to go on the road. And if the politicians are thinking now: 'Yes, we do now as if we would listen, then, to demonstrate the maybe', then you will be disappointed to hear. We want to see action“.

Franziska does not sacrifice only their school, but also leisure

of Course, the discussion on compulsory education has not gone to Franziska Wessel over. "Every Time I hear this Argument, I find it sad," she says. There are so many people who would not sacrifice only the school, but also all of their free time for the movement. It was also during the holidays and on free days on the road, they invested almost every Minute of their time in activism.

If you do not meets in Strasbourg, EU Parliament, then there is enough in Berlin to do. Every Tuesday afternoon you go to Berlin the Greenpeace office, says Wessel, to discuss with other interested young people from FFF in the plenary session and to gather ideas for the movement. "Actually, I would not go there in my spare time, Yes."

For the days in Strasbourg, Frances Wessel of your school was made free, for some of the Demos. "My school is really super cool, to say, here I am in Germany, the support," she says. Actually, you would have to, at the Moment, as a student of the 10. Class examinations for the Middle school graduation drop.

"But since my school is also really nice, I should do the exams as oral exams," says Wessel. The school was not accessible to comment.

Franziska Wessel says, you know, that you have with your school and the school really lucky. "I've been in the movement a friend in Potsdam for school. The school has identified him in pictures of a Demo, and he then has to get a reference“. Also their parents would support their activism. "But if I get sometime, but a fine for the missing hours, found the the not so funny," she says.

"There is still so much to do

" Since the Demo to be such a major, major strike, has FFF at the beginning of March on GoFundMe, a fundraiser. There, the young people have gathered to date, almost 50,000 euros. Why do you need the money? "If you want to organise a big Demo, you need the technology, the stage, it is necessary to organize Meetings in order to be networked – in this society, nothing goes without money," says the 15-Year-old.

For Berlin you need for a Demo as the on Friday, several thousand euros. Before you donate campaign, the movement has received financial support from Greenpeace and the FEDERAL government. "But in the smaller local groups, they are not networked so well that the money is needed there more. In addition, we want to stay as a movement rather independently“.

Wessel is concerned, however, that the movement and the goals will be lost at some point again, that the air is out and politically nothing has done: "I'm afraid that this frustration feeling, according to the Motto: We can achieve anything anyway," she says. You will, however, make sure of it. "I would like to go later on in the policy. Yes, it is exhausting, but it is also necessary. And there is still so much to do“.

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