Tens of thousands march in Australian climate protests

by J. Edward Moreno - 01/10/20 2:30 PM ET

Tens of thousands of protesters on Friday flooded the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and other major Australian cities to condemn Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his approach to climate policy as bushfires rage throughout the country.

Videos on social media show crowds of people filling the corridors surrounding the Sydney City Hall and Parliament House.

Massive climate rally at Sydney Town Hall. #SackScoMo #AustraliaFires #auspol pic.twitter.com/x0ikI9WE6X

— C h r i s ️‍‍♂️ (@Chris86767838) January 10, 2020

Morrison has responded to criticism of his energy policies on Australian media by saying, “We don’t want job-destroying, economy-destroying, economy-wrecking targets and goals, which won’t change the fact that there have been bushfires or anything like that in Australia.”

The group who organized the protest, Uni Students for Climate Justice, said in a Facebook post that more than 50,000 people marched in Sydney, with several thousand in Perth, Brisbane and elsewhere.

“We are determined to keep fighting for climate justice no matter what it takes. Action on the climate can’t wait, it can’t be postponed,” the post stated. “That’s why we’re organising another set of national rallies next week!”

The Facebook post also listed upcoming protests throughout the month in Australia’s biggest cities.

As of Friday, the wildfires have scorched more than 15 million acres in the nation so far and have burned down more than 2,000 homes. The University of Sydney estimates that more than a billion animals have been killed in the fires.

Tags Australia Australia fires Bushfires in Australia Scott Morrison