Klima-Aktiv durch die Pandemie. Pandemiebedingte Herausforderungen von Klimagerechtigkeitsprotesten aus der Perspektive von „Fridays For Future“ und veränderungsbestrebten Jugendlichen in Wien

Abstract

Young people are committed to climate justice even under difficult conditions during the Corona Pandemic. By inventing and developing alternative forms of protest, they use social media not only as a space for announcements, but also for performance and resonance alongside alternative physical activism. Qualitative observation and interview methods (18 interviews including photos with protagonists of the "Fridays for Future" movement and other young people in Vienna who are striving for change) allow for insights into protest activism and the construction of collective identities. The struggle for meaning under restrictions that are questionable in terms of democratic politics points to the resilience and future orientation of the young climate justice movement. Participant observation of three global climate strikes on April 24 2020, September 20 2020, March 19 2021 and individual protest events in Vienna during the pandemic (sea of signs, Future Camp, window demo) complete the research by revealing the changed protest conditions and dramaturgies caused by the pandemic.