The Strike 4 Future was a disappointment. The climate strike celebrated its day of action on Friday in its media releases that they fought “shoulder to shoulder” with the unions, and that “tens of thousands” took to the streets.
But if you were out and about in Zurich, you saw a different picture.
The “climate noise” at 11:59 a.m. fizzled out. On Langstrasse, only the basses from the Olé Olé Bar thundered, the rain pelted down. In the underpass next to it there was an art installation: a text against all possible isms (racism, capitalism, ableism … only atheism was missing) boomed from several loudspeakers. It was about everything except the climate.
Switzerland will vote on the CO₂ law on June 13th. But during the day and during the demonstration in the evening, probably the most important climate vote played no role: The climate strike has no slogan about CO₂.
– Law passed because the movement is divided over it. Part of the referendum has taken hold.
The climate strike is getting bogged down. Some are exhausted after two and a half years of fighting for the climate – others are so ideologically charged that they want to fight all injustice struggles at the same time. In the newly flared up Middle East conflict, this went so far that activists published anti-Semitic posts on social networks out of solidarity with Palestine.
The CO2Rejecting or ignoring the law because it does not lead safely to the 1.5-degree target is not a criticism of the system, but a contempt for the system. It’s a bit like if the climate youths rejected masks in the second corona wave because there was no real lockdown.
The fact that the climate youth is neglecting their core business is not strategic – it is extremely dangerous.
Published: May 22nd, 2021, 8:25 pm
Last updated: May 22, 2021, 57 minutes ago