Before classes commenced, the main gates of Liceu Camões were padlocked shut, responding to the Sunday election results, which saw the re-election of the PSD/CDS coalition and an increase in votes for Chega, now holding 58 seats in the Assembly of the Republic.
“Students want a commitment from the Government to end fossil fuels by 2030,” said Lucas Cavaquinha, a 10th grade student at the Liceu, to Lusa news agency. He made the comment while removing some banners from the school’s fence at the end of the protest around 10:00 a.m., the scheduled start time for the Student Assembly.
Shortly before, in the square in front of the school, dozens of students participated in the assembly, deciding to continue “making noise for the rights of young people” and working towards expanding the protests to a national scale, explained Lucas Cavaquinha.
The early start of the Student Assembly meant the police reinforcements arrived after the protest had ended. When the police van parked in front of the Liceu, the gates had already reopened, and students were returning to their classes.
Nevertheless, the youths affirmed that the protests would continue and might involve more school closures, spontaneous occupations of educational establishments, and “making noise,” some students suggested.
The students informed Lusa they would closely monitor the measures decided by the future government, expressing concerns about their future.
“We are frightened by the election results. If Prime Minister Luís Montenegro dismissed the letter we delivered last October demanding an end to fossil fuels by 2030, with Chega, we won’t even have the freedom to protest so openly,” stated Clara Cabrita, another student participating in the initiative.
“We have the right to a future, and that’s why we are here. We cannot accept another government that condemns us to climate collapse. Our generation will not accept it,” Lucas Cavaquinha added.
Backing his colleague’s remarks, Viviana Fuhrmann noted that “politicians should work with students.”
For now, the students have planned two more actions: a party next Saturday afternoon at Casa do Comum and a new “introductory meeting” of the Student Climate Strike next Monday.
These two initiatives are displayed on hand-made posters pasted on the bandstand in Praça José Fontana, both of which were photographed by PSP officers under the watchful eyes of some students present at the scene.
