Thousands protest G7 summit in southern Germany

Thousands of demonstrators packed a German Alpine resort town on Saturday to protest a wide range of causes, from climate change to free trade, before the arrival of the leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies for a two-day summit. Though the demonstration in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was largely peaceful, a small group of protesters clashed with police as they marched through the town, charging at officers who responded with pepper spray. At least two protesters had to be taken away by medics for treatment. Police said one officer was also injured by the pepper spray; there were no arrests.

[I came] to exercise my democratic rights to say that everything the G-7 decides is in the interest of the banks and capitalists.

Protester Monika Lambert

About 2,000 protesters marched to the train station from their camp on the outskirts of town for the noontime demonstration and were joined by thousands of others, including many families and children. One group of about 30 protesters dressed as clowns, taunting police by getting up close and personal, dusting their boots with feather dusters, pretending to listen in on their conversations and making sexual innuendos. Police planned to keep all demonstrators away from the summit venue, the Schloss Elmau hotel in a tiny village about eight kilometers from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

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