Greta Backlash: 7 things you should know.

I have heard a lot of criticism of Greta Thunberg in recent days, many claiming she is hypocritical and should still be in school. All the adults who are turning their criticisms against Greta at this time should know this;

1. You are throwing abuse at a child who shouldn't have to know better than you - but clearly does.

2. She has acknowledged her privilege and is not speaking just for herself, but also those poor and uneducated of her generation around the world, who do not have the privilege of either having a voice or knowing what is being done to them by their elders; people you should have been speaking for, so that she didn't have to.

3. Even if she were being hypocritical and even if she were entirely wrong about all of this, which she is not, this would still not be the right way to treat our children. We do not mock them or abuse them or ridicule them for their beliefs, and we do not stamp on their enthusiasm to do good in the world. We encourage them to do better than we did. Why would any of us think it OK to do otherwise?

4. Yes she should still be in school, she herself has said so, but instead she is out doing the job that we should be doing on her behalf and on behalf of all generations to come.

5. If you were listening to her words - you would already know all of this, so why aren't you listening? I suspect because you are afraid. Well guess what? So is she, and she needs our reassurance that something will be done, not more excuses and accusations.

6. There are many jokes going around the internet about the protests. One of them is; "A million kids want to clean up the Earth. A million parents would love it if it started with their bedroom." Humour is important, never more so than when we are dealing with adversity, but it should never be at the expense of those who are suffering, never to undermine those who want to make things better. Those posting such flippant responses should be embarrassed and ashamed of their disregard for the genuine fear of young people for their future, especially when young people looking for genuine solutions are already being met with such a huge backlash of online abuse.

7. When the time comes to account for yourself before your children, your God, or even just yourself, about how you responded to climate change and to those who sought to make a real difference, "that 16 year old girl was hypocritical" and "she should have been in school" will not absolve you, it will ring out as a poor and hollow excuse. I am rarely a fan of shame, but here it is right, if we have shamed Greta, to feel the full force of that shame back upon ourselves.

Instead of criticizing, we should be seeking to move, to stand alongside the young people in their protests and put the real issues first. It's time to act like the grown ups in the room.