OWS protest turns on G20 summit in France

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Published time: November 01, 2011 18:09
Edited time: November 02, 2011 02:00

Thousands of people take part in a demonstration on November 1, 2011 in Nice two days ahead of the G20 summit (AFP Photo / Anne-Christine Poujoulat)

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Bill Dod, Conflict, Crisis, Daniel Bushell, EU, G20, Meeting, Protest

Thousands of anti-capitalists have arrived in Nice on the French Riviera to protest against corporate greed ahead of the G20 summit in Cannes. International activists are urging leaders of the world's top economies to focus on people not finance.

The protest in Nice, which unites the Occupy Wall Street movement in the USA and anti-EU rallies in Europe, is estimated to have attracted almost 15,000 people. People are coming from all over Europe – but also from Mexico, Canada and even the Middle East.

"People first, not finance!" shout protesters, many wearing Robin Hood hats to represent their demand for the introduction of a financial transactions tax to help fight inequality.

“I am against the fact that the few people who have the most money in the world are running everything,” one of the protesters told RT.

“Governments of the states have decided they own the world. We believe the people have their world,” added another one.

Though the rally is more about the struggling single currency and spiraling debt in the EU, other issues are also being brought up. Thus, the demonstrators criticize the military operation in Libya, which is viewed as a waste of money which could have been spent on more urgent domestic issues.

Leading trade unions and environmental advocates such as Greenpeace and the Human Rights League are also at the rally.

Security has been tightened with helicopters circling over Nice and heavily armed police guarding every corner. Fears are high the protests may turn violent – as has happened before.

Three anti-G20 protesters from Spain have been detained by French police near Nice Airport ahead of the march, reports RIA Novosti news agency. The police found "bolts, mountaineering axes, balaclavas and gas masks" in their car, as well as T-shirts and badges reading “Black Cross”, which is the anarchists’ symbol. The men were suspected of planning to cause trouble and put in custody.

The G20 summit will take place on Thursday and Friday in Cannes near Nice, where anti-capitalist demonstrators are marching against the event. The summit is being held to look into the issues of financial stability and the security of energy supplies.

A parallel “People's Summit” will be held by protesters in Nice.

Comments (7)

Roger Coze 03.11.2011 03:43

Bogdanovdo those workers know what to produce, would they know how to make the product if the corporation did not train them?Everyone rich or poor enjoy luxury goods produced by corporations. Fast food ,video games, t.v., cellphones....ect. People under the poverty line ,at least in the U.S., still have a t.v ,a luxury good produced by a corporation. You probably have a computer ,if you are on this website ,did you make the computer yourself or did you buy it from a corporation?

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Bogdanov 02.11.2011 04:43

Roger Coze, a couple of corrections: 1) These are not Corporations who create "everything what people enjoy", but regular people who work there. 2) Apparently, not many people, but just few, have luxury to enjoy what is created within walls of those corporations. Therefore, after spending months and months of looking for jobs and after lost any hope to find one, they go on the streets to express their frustration...

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Are you sure? 01.11.2011 23:00

I am not sure if they are anti-capitalists or anti-fascists. The government that Wall St controls, the US Government, is a fascist government where the state is bed with the corporations. I would protest fascism. There's nothing wrong with Capitalism, but in a free market. We unfortunately don't have free markets.

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