Thousands of children have gone on strike from school to instead join protests calling for more global action on climate change.

Youth Strike 4 Climate protests are taking place across Britain, inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg’s weekly demonstrations outside her nation’s parliament to urge leaders to tackle the issue.

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In London, hundreds of students joined the Youth Strike 4 Climate protest on Parliament Square (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
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(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
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(Nick Ansell/PA)
Climate change protest
(Nick Ansell/PA)
Climate change protest
Three-year-old Violet Wicks from London joined the protest in Parliament Square (Nick Ansell/PA)
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(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
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(Verity Bowman/PA)
Climate change protest
(Nick Ansell/PA)
Climate change protest
(Nick Ansell/PA)
Climate change protest
(Nick Ansell/PA)
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(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Climate change protest
(Nick Ansell/PA)
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Police officers talk to protesters during the demo (Nick Ansell/PA)
Climate change protest
(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
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Students passionately supported the cause at a protest in Brighton (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Climate change protest
(Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
Climate change protest
School pupils also ditched classes in favour of the climate change movement outside Shire Hall in Cambridge (Sam Russell/PA)
Climate change protest
(Sam Russell/PA)
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Students on Canterbury high street in Kent led their protest with a massive banner (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Climate change protest
(Gareth Fuller/PA)