Tuesday, 5 June 2007, 10:07 GMT 11:07 UK
Q&A: Who are the G8 protesters?
Thousands of demonstrators have converged on Rostock in northern Germany,
ahead of the G8 summit in nearby Heiligendamm. The BBC News website's
Jacqueline Head examines the different groups protesting. Who are the groups?
An estimated 30,000 people held protests at the weekend
There are a broad range of groups rallying, from environmental and
anti-poverty campaigners to anti-globalisation and multi-faith groups, with one
overarching common interest: social justice. Organisations include the Global
Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), Greenpeace, Oxfam, Christian Aid, trade
unions, Friends of the Earth, Block G8, Attac and "Black Bloc" demonstrators.
They are divided into two main thought camps. One recognises the G8 as a
legitimate way to bring about change, and uses the summit to lobby for causes
they believe should be addressed or acted upon by the leaders. The other is
rallying against the notion of G8. They believe that having leaders from eight
different nations making decisions on global issues is not democratic, and that
those nations are responsible for many of the world's current problems. What
kind of people are marching? There are a wide range of ages and nationalities
attending rallies around the G8 summit.
Various ages and nationalities are represented in Rostock
They are reported to include boy scouts and over-50s groups. Some
movements, such as those under the Block G8 umbrella - a movement aiming to
block the entrance to Heiligendamm - are made up primarily of young Germans,
organisers say. Others, such as GCAP or Greenpeace, have supporters in
Germany from all over the world, including France, the UK, China, Japan, the
Philippines and Africa, along with a wide range of ages. What are the main
issues for the protesters? The most prominent issues centre on this year's G8
agenda - above all, poverty and climate change. Many groups are calling for
cancellation of developing nations' debt, trade justice, better healthcare,
education, water and sanitation across the globe and action to tackle climate
change. Others are using the summit as a platform to draw attention to other
issues, such as war and torture, GM crops, militarisation and "discriminatory"
immigration policies. GCAP are calling for the leaders to fulfil
the promises they made at Gleneagles in 2005, saying that the G8 nations are
falling short of the targets they originally set themselves. Ciara
O'Sullivan, GCAP spokesperson, said they plan to present UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a petition of one million voices
calling on them to fulfil their promises. Tricia O'Rourke, spokesperson for
Oxfam, said: "We are reminding them that they have to deliver." "In 2005 in
Gleneagles they promised they would increase aid to $50bn (£25bn) by 2010, but
we recently calculated following current trends they will be short by $30bn."
Greenpeace have an action list they want the leaders to fulfil, which includes
reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30% by 2020 and 80-90% by 2050.
The EU has pledged to slash CO2 emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by the year
2020, and UK ministers have outlined proposals to cut emissions by 60% by 2050.
Greenpeace campaigner Agnes de Rooij said there
was no point in the G8 allocating aid to countries if they could not deliver
on climate change. "You can give aid to developing countries, but if you
don't solve the climate problem it won't make any difference. They need to
solve the climate problem or the aid won't be effective." How are people
protesting? The majority of demonstrators are holding peaceful marches. Some
have chosen to block roads with their bodies in an effort to stop traffic from
entering Heiligendamm. Others have drawn up action points they hope leaders
will take note of, or petitions from different countries. The majority are
adamant that their protests are peaceful. The Black Bloc, who include
anarchists, wear black clothing and masks. Campaigners on the ground say only
a very small minority are involved in violence. Why are people protesting
against G8 itself? Some people believe that the G8 is not a democratic method
of making decisions that could affect the rest of the world, or
that the countries involved are not effective in bringing about the right kind
of change. They want a more "democratic" approach - stemming from grassroots
activism, rather than from the most powerful leaders in the world. Block G8
is an umbrella of 125 groups organising a massive blockade against the summit.
Christoph Kleine, a spokesperson for the collective, said their protest is a
"clear sign of our rejection of the G8 and our belief that the G8 is completely
illegitimate. "These are the governments of eight countries who think they
can rule the world because they are the richest and most powerful. This is not
democratic. "We can see the result of domination by these countries - war,
social injustice. They stand for the danger of climate change. They are the
countries who are responsible for most of the emissions." But other groups
take a contrasting view and use the G8 summit to push their own agenda.
Tricia O'Rourke, from Oxfam, said: "The G8 have it
within their power to end poverty. They can deliver on climate change. These
are the people who can make a difference."
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