'Empowering' march held in Brighton during Global Day of Action for COP26

Greeenpeace Brighton said thousands of people, including dozens of its volunteers, took part in the Global Day of Action for COP26 in Brighton on Saturday (November 6).

Those marching were calling on the UK Government and world leaders to 'stop failing us on the climate crisis'. Participants carried placards and marched from The Level to Hove Lawns.

Marches also happened in more than 20 cities across the UK, with thousands attending in Glasgow, where the UN climate talks are being hosted.

Alan Wells, a volunteer with Greenpeace Brighton Group, said: "It was empowering to join thousands of other people on the march in Brighton to call on the UK Government and world leaders to stop failing us on the climate crisis. Our voices are now too powerful to ignore. We’re part of a movement of millions of people across the world, and we’ll stand up for a fairer, greener future until our leaders have no choice but to take action."

Louise Dalton from Seven Dials, who was attending a demonstration for the first time, said: "I’d never been on a demonstration before but the climate crisis is too important to ignore and I wanted to be part of something. It felt really powerful to come together with other people who care about the same issues, and to give a really clear message to world leaders no more empty pledges, it’s time to stop failing us on climate change."

Greenpeace said that last week, posters also calling on world leaders to ‘stop failing us’ appeared in Brighton city centre, as well as in London, Glasgow and other UK cities.

A Greenpeace spokesman said: "The posters feature images, stories and messages from 14 Indigenous Peoples and climate activists across the world, to showcase the voices of those who are most affected by, but have done the least to cause, the climate crisis.

"The most recent UN climate report warned that we’re at a ‘code red’ for humanity, and gave us the clearest evidence yet of the link between greenhouse gas emissions and worsening climate impacts, from flooding to fires, which we’ve seen across the globe this summer."

Alan Wells added: "Could there be clearer evidence that Boris Johnson needs to put his claim to be a climate leader into action? It’s time to side with people vulnerable to climate impacts here in Brighton and Hove and across the world and say no to new fossil fuel projects."