Manchester Friends of Earth activists take protest to COP26 summit

Members of an award-winning Manchester environment group held protests in Glasgow while world leaders gathered at Cop26.

Friends of the Earth campaigns have won six awards in recognition of their campaigns, including a Be Proud and National Earth Mover award.

Tens of thousands of people marched on the streets of Glasgow to demand more action on climate change from the world leaders.

Popular climate change activist Greta Thunberg was in Glasgow and addressed protestors. She called the United Nations conference a “PR event”.

As well as Glasgow, marches were planned in major cities such as London and New York as climate change activists try to make their voice heard.

Greg Pike, a volunteer for the Manchester group, went to Glasgow for a week while the summit took place.

He attending public events held outside the conference, as-well as joining the protest with a group of other volunteers from Manchester Friends of Earth and supporters from various other environmental groups.

He said: “There is already a sense that this COP26 probably isn’t going to deliver the kind of things people like me want to see.

“The message from our demonstration will be that this is the last chance saloon, what comes out of it has got to be really substantial”

Greg said that along with sending a message to world leaders, taking part in a protest provided him with other forms of enjoyment.

“There are practical reasons for attending as there are events going on,” he said.

“But there is also an emotional victory as you are all showing your solidarity. It gives you a buzz, it raises your sprits and you feed off that kind of thing.”

Manchester Friends of Earth members also supporting various events in Manchester. 

A smaller event at St Peter’s Square in Manchester will take place in conjunction with the summit in Glasgow.

The group called on activists from across the country to participate and demand “radical action on climate change and climate justice”.