'We don't want to but we have to': Cork students take to the streets in climate protest

Crowds of secondary school children turned out to the latest climate protest in Cork to send the simple message to government that they have had enough of climate inaction.

It is the third large-scale climate march they have organised in the city this year and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Placards and banners sent messages to the government with slogans that have become familiar in recent months as the climate emergency becomes more in-focus.

"There is no Planet B", "The water is rising and so are we", "The emperor has no clothes" and "System change, not climate change" were just some of the slogans coming from the crowd.

There was a sense of fury among many of the marchers and disbelief among others who simply could not believe that the reaction from governments is still so slow.

Speaking ahead of the march, some protestors revealed they had slipped exams to be there.

"We don't want to but we have to," sixth year student Hazel Ryan said.

"The big corporations and the government has to do more, they can't ignore us if we keep doing this."

Classmate Simon Arregui said that simple steps can make the difference.

"Wind energy, bike lanes: look at what other countries are doing. We could do it too."

Today's march is not only focused on the broader climate emergency but has a special interest in the prospect of fracked gas being imported through Shannon and Cork.

Protestors said that this simply cannot be allowed to happen, kicking off the march by calling on the government to say no to importing fracked gas through Cork and Shannon.