Her parents were not environmentalists, and were initially concerned she was protesting by not attending school. They later joined her in solidarity and became vegan too.
Initially, she protested alone outside the Swedish parliament. The next day, several other students joined her. The day after, there were more- and then the journalists and media followed. This is how it snowballed. Not by some dastardly plan of adults trying to exploit a child, but by her own initiative and civil disobedience.
Through social media, word got around everywhere until it culminated in the global school strike- with 1.6 million students participating on March 15.
and it all started with this.
You just witnessed a young girl who you dismiss as an unwitting pawn just spearhead a global movement of youth activists. If you had a conscience at all, this is where you would feel a tinge of shame and make a silent promise to yourself to be just a tiny bit less of an asshole. If you had a conscience that is.