Students across America have staged mass school walkouts in protest of gun violence and the nation’s gun control laws, following the deaths of 17 people in last month’s shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
More than 3,000 schools reportedly took part in the demonstration, which saw young people leave their classrooms for 17 minutes in remembrance of the victims.
Many of the demonstrations were held despite potential repercussions for participating students and schools.
Some school districts have threatened students who left campus to protest with disciplinary action, while the Chicago Republican Party has reportedly threatened to sue Chicago Public School principals for allegedly forcing students to participate.
Any potential backlash didn’t stop thousands of students from convening on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., where advocates hope the nation’s gun control measures will finally be amended to end mass school shootings.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgUJ9O0hqE4/?taken-at=3001994
Elsewhere, students gathered in groups big and small to make the same protest, hoping to convince the adults that something should change.
“Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids have you killed today?” Kids outside Trump Int’l in NYC this morning. pic.twitter.com/Rj3k1J15KE
— Meredith Blake (@MeredithBlake) March 14, 2018
Students in San Francisco: “We are change! We are change!” pic.twitter.com/jAHMmTfHia
— Blake Montgomery (@blakersdozen) March 14, 2018
#walkout Detroit Cass Tech High School Students: ‘What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!’ pic.twitter.com/Qo1sUDxkVM
— Gus Burns (@GusBurns) March 14, 2018
Hundreds of students are now outside #IthacaHighSchool. #walkout #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/8nib7Wpb48
— Matt Steecker (@OnTheStecord) March 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/GibbonTim/status/973927009222094848
https://twitter.com/srfreish/status/973940756326092801
HERRIMAN HIGH #WALKOUT pic.twitter.com/ihFoZyT4QB
— HERRIMAN HIGH WALKOUT (@HerrimanWalkout) March 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/cora/status/973920943100846082
#NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/gnuFDZt1dP
— Sarah Chadwick (@Sarahchadwickk) March 14, 2018
Extremely proud to call myself a charger today. What we did was incredible. 💙⚡️💛 #enough #EnoughIsEnough #nationalwalkoutday pic.twitter.com/7whrlwd63j
— Mackenzie (@mackenzie0724) March 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/rob_bennett/status/973997299142660097
