STATEMENT ON ZOOM BOMBING...

Last Friday, 3rd April, youth strikers across the UK met online (via Zoom conference call) to take part in the #DigitalClimateStrike. It was amazing to see so many young climate campaigners and to hear what everyone had to say! [1/10]

Unfortunately, during this, a member of the public shared explicit and racist images and words - they were quickly removed. We want to apologise profusely for what happened - it goes completely against what the climate justice movement stands for, and UKSCN’s values. [2/10]

While we were unable to prevent this from happening, we recognise how unsafe it made the space (especially for black people). We want to reiterate that UKSCN is opposed to all forms of racism and does not tolerate this behaviour under any circumstances. [3/10]

These kinds of events can not and should not be brushed under the carpet and ignored - too often this is the case; we realise that events like this can have horrifically big impacts on people and this can not be ignored. [4/10]

We want to provide support for anyone who needs it; anyone is welcome to get in touch with us if you have been upset by anything you saw or heard or would like to speak to someone about this further (by emailing [email protected] or DMing us) [5/10]

We are deeply sorry for what happened last week and want to stress that we are looking into stronger security measures and ways to mitigate this from repeating. Under no circumstance will we let this slide under the carpet and be forgotten about. [6/10]

Racism has no place in society let alone the climate justice movement. Those suffering the most from the climate crisis are people from marginalised communities including Black communities. [7/10]

For centuries racism and other forms of oppression have underpinned the system which has led to this horrific climate breakdown. Without tackling all forms of discrimination and oppression, including racism, we are not fighting for climate justice. [8/10]

The youth strike movement must be as inclusive and safe as possible for all; everyone, no matter their background, is welcome in our movement. [9/10]

We will not tolerate any form of oppression or discrimination and want to apologise once again for the upset and hurt that was caused last Friday. [10/10]