indianmuslims.info 31. March 2007

Berlin, Mar 30, (IRNA) German anti-globalization groups are preparing for a series of violent and non-violent protests during the upcoming G8 summit, scheduled to take place in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm from June 6-8.

“There is an ongoing debate among anti-globalization groups as to how to protest during the G8 summit. Some are calling for soft actions but some are calling for more violent measures such as blocking airports and throwing stones,” said the spokesman of a Berlin-based non-government agency (Venro), Gerhard Gad during a recent press briefing.

“Groups like Attac have harsher positions,” he added.

More than 100,000 people are expected to demonstrate against the G8 summit as a record number of over 16,000 police will be ready to contain the protest wave, making it the largest security operation in the history of Germany.

Protestors hope to stage a sit-in at the military airport in the northern city of Rostock-Laage where the G8 delegations are due to land, in a bid to block their arrival.

Anti-G8 demonstrators will include also labor union, pro- environment, student, pacifist and radical leftist groups.

“The environment issue will be the dominant theme during the G8 protests. There is a danger that this issue will wash away all the other themes,” added Gad who is a third world development aid activist.

Opponents of globalization will also hold the largest-ever alternative summit of globalization critics in the northeastern German city of Rostock from June 5 through7 which will take place parallel to the G8 summit in Heiligendamm.

More than 10 podium discussions as well as around 100 seminars will be conducted at the alternative summit which will focus on the issues of the G8 meeting.

“We want to show that there are alternatives to the policies of the industrial nations,” said Attac spokesperson, Peter Wahl.

Around 40 groups will participate in the alternative summit.

Alarmed by a number of pre-G8 militant attacks in northern Germany, police has formed a special nationwide commission, codenamed ‘Kavala’