As Press Swarm Greta, Fellow Youth Activists Stage 'Powerful and Strong' Silent Protest at COP 25

Young climate activists staged a silent sit-in Friday at the United Nations climate conference in Madrid, Spain. (Photo: 350.org Europe/Twitter)

As Press Swarm Greta, Fellow Youth Activists Stage 'Powerful and Strong' Silent Protest at COP 25

"We need climate action and we need change right now. And the time to act is now."

Ahead of a climate strike in the streets of Madrid, Greta Thunberg and other young climate campaigners on Friday held a silent sit-in in the halls of the COP 25 United Nations conference in the Spanish capital in a display of frustration and anger over government inaction on the planetary emergency.

David Fopp, a founding member of Extinction Rebellion in Sweden, called the youth action the "most powerful and strong statement you can imagine."

Global climate movement 350.org, in a tweet, said the action was meant "to get government leaders to WAKE UP."

"We need climate action and we need change right now. And the time to act is now," said 22-year-old Hilda Flavia Nakabuye of Uganda, a self-declared "victim of this climate crisis," as she took part in the protest.

Press at the conference appeared to pay little attention to the sit-in until Thunberg--who'd arrived in Madrid by train earlier in the day--joined them, according to tweets posted by climate reporter Chloe Farand.

Climate activists at COP 25 will amplify their demand for urgent action on Wednesday with a strike in Madrid set to kick off at 6pm local time.

Climate strikes in other cities across Europe and beyond are also set to take place Friday.

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