- Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Foley Square in Manhattan’s Financial District on Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike, a worldwide series of protests against climate change.
- 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the catalyst for the movement, attended the New York march.
- The most creative signs repurposed memes, made puns, and melted the Earth, but they all shared the same sense of urgency for the planet.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Millions of people are marching against climate change, and New York is no exception. In fact, it’s the main event.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Foley Square in Manhattan’s Financial District on Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike, a mass movement protesting inaction against climate change. It’s just one of hundreds of similar strikes in 156 countries around the world. And like those strikes, marchers have made their own signs to get their message out. That includes handmade signs: cardboard, magic markers, spray paint, and in one case, a plastic water carton.
The catalyst for the strike is 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist who gained worldwide fame after skipping school to protest in front of the Swedish parliament building in Stockholm. Thunberg attended the New York where she was slated to be a key speaker.
Read more: How 16-year-old Greta Thunberg became the face of climate-change activism
While demonstrators of all ages marched down Broadway, the overwhelming majority were students. Most of them weren't skipping class, either - New York City's Education Department gave students permission to attend the strike. Teachers in New York, however, are barred from participating to avoid involving politics in the classroom.
Here are some of the demonstrators' most creative signs.
Greta Thunberg made her way to the march shortly after it began at 12:45 pm on Broadway.
Then she brought out her hand-painted sign, which says "School strike for climate" in Swedish.
Before the march began, protesters gathered in Foley Square, many of them carrying replicas of Thunberg's sign.
Most signs expressed a sense of urgency. Some demonstrators climbed onto lampposts to get their message out.
Others gathered together in the grass, like the employees of Patagonia Sports in Manhattan.
Many of the demonstrators were young — some of them missed school to join the ranks.
Some signs focused on the environmental impacts of climate change.
Others blamed politicians, like this sign featuring President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Some protesters made signs to give away.
Others got creative with props.
Around 12:30 pm, the marchers moved from Foley Square down Broadway, toward Battery Park.
This sign features the eponymous characters from the TV show "Rick and Morty."
Some signs were simple and stark.
Others adapted meme culture for their message.
Signs weren't the only ways marchers supported the cause — some wore T-shirts.
This sign pointed out the effects of climate change on birds while having a sense of humor.
Some signs took humor to a new level.
But the overarching messages many demonstrators had was the importance of science — especially signs from student protesters.
