Protesters wreak chaos at G8 summit
Pastor Dale Morgan
Protesters wreak chaos at G8 summit*
By Arnaud Bouvier in Heiligendamm, Germany
June 07, 2007 10:46am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
GERMAN police battled thousands of anti-globalisation protesters with
water cannons to stop them getting close to the annual summit of the
world's rich nations.
Police fired jets of water late yesterday to clear one of two main roads
into the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm that had been blocked for several
hours.
Police said more than 140 people were arrested during the day and eight
officers were injured in a hail of stones as they fought to stop
demonstrators approaching a 12km-long barbed wire fence protecting the
summit venue.
An estimated 10,000 people took part in protests around Heiligendamm as
the Group of Eight presidents and heads of government started their summit.
Anti-globalisation and anti-war protesters - many dressed as clowns and
wearing coloured wigs -- took part in the clashes or banged drums and
waved fists at lines of German riot police.
Shortly before darkness fell, police moved in and sprayed powerful jets
of water at activists who had blocked the main road. Police on horseback
also helped pushed protesters off the highway.
Activist groups said another main road to the resort remained blocked.
Two Spanish protesters and a German were sentenced yesterday to up to 10
months in prison for their part in violence last Saturday in which
hundreds of people were injured.
But a major demonstration planned for today was called off, the
organisers said, after German authorities banned the event. About 11,000
people had been expected to attend.
But other anti-globalisation groups have vowed to keep up the protests
until the summit ends tomorrow and 16,000 German police were to remain
around Heiligendamm.
The main flashpoint was the fence surrounding the exclusive resort hotel
where US President George W. Bush and his counterparts were meeting.
Police said that when about 800 people tried to fight their way to the
barrier, a small group began hurling stones, prompting the police to
fire water cannons.
One activist group said tear gas had also been used against
demonstrators, but police could not confirm this.
Protesters also blocked a train that was to take journalists from the
press centre in nearby Kuehlungsborn to the summit venue.
The journalists were eventually taken in by sea on German navy boats.
Anti-globalisation group Attac said demonstrations it had organised had
been peaceful.
"Our supporters have been blocking roads in completely peaceful
demonstrations that have been intensively prepared,'' spokeswoman Jutta
Sundermann said.
Security fears were raised when violence had flared in Rostock on
Saturday during a demonstration by tens of thousands of protesters.
Hundreds of police were injured in clashes with hundreds of masked and
hooded protesters, many of them from abroad.
The three-day meeting of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Russia and the United States will discuss climate change and aid to Africa.