33rd G8 summit

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The 33rd G8 summit is taking place at Kempinski Grand Hotel in Heiligendamm in the old Duchy of Mecklenburg in the Northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Coast, from June 6 to June 8 2007.[1]

Leaders at the summit

Permanent

Location

Heiligendamm security fence

Heiligendamm is the oldest seaside resort in Germany[2] on the Baltic, developed in 1793 as the seaside meeting place of nobility and high society close to Frederick Francis I, Duke of Mecklenburg. It was elected as the location for the G8 summit due to its isolated location, in anticipation of protests such as those in Gleneagles and St Petersburg. The summit site has already been fenced off by a 12 km long barrier, costing an approximate EUR 12.4 million.[3]

Heiligendamm, known as "White Town by the Sea", also used to be the summer getaway of the Russian imperial family, who also were related to the Dukes of Mecklenburg. For the occasion of the G8 summit, a former summer residence of the imperial family was demolished to make space for a media center.[3]

Agenda

At the end of the 32nd G8 summit in Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reported that the agenda of the G8 summit in 2007 had not been determined, but "the struggle against poverty across the globe will be a priority." [1]

According to the official German Presidency website, the summit's motto will be "Growth and Responsibility," focusing on "Investition, Innovation und Nachhaltigkeit (Investment, Innovation and Sustainability)", and "Africa: good governance, sustainable investment, peace and security".[4] Transparency of the financial markets, intellectual property and energy efficiency will also be on the agenda, as well as talks about climate change.

On April 13, 2007, Oil Change International released a reported leaked draft of the economic communique.[5] The G8 financial ministers began pre-summit meetings on 30 May 2007.[6]

This will be the first G8 summit for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and the final one for British Prime Minister Tony Blair - as well as for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Protests and activism

On December 29, 2006, anonymous protesters splattered the Kempinski hotel with red and black paintbombs; the combination of red and black is a common symbol of the anarchist movement for flags, banners, stickers etc.

For the 33rd G8 summit, the local police are expecting about 100,000 protesters from all parts of Germany and other countries. Preparations are nervous on both sides: 16,000 policemen are deployed to protect the heads of state, the 12 kilometers long steel fence has been built around Heiligendamm for the price of 12.4 million Euro, while Attac Germany has chartered even three trains to get as much discontented citizens as possible from the farther parts of Germany and nearby countries to what is expected to be this year's biggest unified demonstration against G8[7], along with numerous buses organized by various groups and political parties. The main demonstration, taking place at June 2, 2007 in the nearby big city Rostock, is the starting event for a whole week of protests and blockades. While organizers expected up to 80,000 participants, police put the figure at an estimated 25,000. [8] Anticipation is high by protesters for a strengthening of the alter-globalization movement. As at previous G8 summits, some protests have turned into violent riots. Towards the end of the June 2 protest, violent clashes between protesters and the police, though essentially limited to a small area at the harbour, was initially reported to have injured nearly 1000 people (433 German police officers, 30-33 of them requiring hospitalization[9], and 520 protesters, 20 requiring hospitalization[10]). Later, these figures were disputed[11], and the number of police requiring hospitalization was corrected to 2[12]. According to police estimates, 2000 autonomists led the riots, setting fire to a total of 3 cars and setting up make-shift barricades; many peaceful protesters fled the scene in panic [13]. 128 protesters were detained, but arrest warrants were only issued for 10; the other were either set free due to lack of evidence or are pending review of evidence[14].

A protest also occurred on 2 June 2007 on the river bank opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, principally a reminder of the G8's previous (and, as the protestors saw them, unfulfilled) promises on debt relief, entitled "G8-The World Can't Wait" and "Wake Up To Poverty". It was a static protest, with small marches converging on in from Lambeth Park and Methodist Central Hall, on a route starting at the foot of Victoria Tower, along the riverbank of Victoria Tower Gardens, the north side of Lambeth Bridge, and the southern riverbank opposite Parliament as far as (but not including) Westminster Bridge. This principally involved the protestors setting off alarm clocks at 2pm as a "wakeup call" to the G8, and passed without incident.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "German Chancellor holds news conference on results of G8 summit". G8Russia. 2006-07-17. Retrieved 2006-07-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Heiligendamm - First German Seaside Resort". Retrieved 2006-07-19.
  3. ^ a b Heiligendamm Prepares for the G8 Summit. Deutsche Welle, 17 February 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  4. ^ Official Agenda, g-8.de
  5. ^ Template:PDFlink, draft of February 2007
  6. ^ "Ministers in talks for G8 summit", BBC News, 30 May 2007
  7. ^ Press release of the demonstration consortium, 24 April 2007
  8. ^ - SPIEGEL.de international edition
  9. ^ Yahoo.de News: Zahl der verletzten Polizisten in Rostock auf 433 gestiegen
  10. ^ Yahoo.de News: Organisatoren zählen 520 verletzte Demonstranten nach Krawallen
  11. ^ Focus online: Rostock-Krawalle: Zahl der Verletzten zweifelhaft
  12. ^ junge Welt: Kampf um die Köpfe
  13. ^ German city rocked by violent riots - SPIEGEL.de international edition
  14. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung online: Demonstration gegen G-8-Gipfel

Security

In the media

Preceded by G8 Summit
2007 		Succeeded by
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