COMMENDED: Power

Iolanda in Year 9 shares her POWERFUL story of protesting against Brexit in London. Iolanda said: I want to maka a change so here is the story of my first ever public protest. Protesting together is my definition of power.

PROTEST

My my family and I went to the Brexit protest three years ago. It was my first protest. Everyone was squished together, touching shoulder to shoulder.

My brother had made a gigantic sign which was personal to my own Italian family. It read: “Brexit = No Breadsticks!” Whenever my Italian family took walks up the mountains back home, we would eat breadsticks, fruit and cereal bars. The sign was HUGE; it took up the whole road!

The atmosphere was electric. Everybody was shouting “No Brexit!” with one unified voice. We repeated itand repeated over and over again. Nobody ever got tired of walking. Nobody ever lost their voice. (This seemed like a miracle!)

I simply walked and admired the crowd and the people. My dad, who was concerned that I might be tired, kept on asking if I wanted a piggyback to rest my legs, but I had no need for it: I was full of energy. Even though I was just a little child with no experience of crowds and loud environments, it made me feel alive.

The protest went on and on through the streets of London. There were so many protest signs and so many people that I couldn't see where the packed line of humans began or ended. For that day, we owned the streets of the capital. Eventually, tiredness crept up on me. I sighed and climbed on my dad's back. But still, the people around me marched on and on and on.

My message is this: Everybody should take part to stand up for what they think is right. You may think that you can't make a difference, but everybody, together, can.

Take the first step.