M A I N   N E W S

Thousands march against G-8 summit, teargassed

Annemasse, June 1
Tens of thousands of anti-globalisation protesters set off on marches today, as the French police fired tear gas to stop demonstrators blocking a road to a resort hosting a summit of world leaders.

Carrying anti-war banners and beating drums, some 1,500 protesters tried to block a road near the town of Thonon, the route for some delegations heading for the Group of Eight (G-8) summit in the lakeside spa of Evian.

Other protesters rampaged overnight through the nearby Swiss city of Geneva, smashing shop windows and hurling firebombs at government buildings.

The main protest began around 0800 GMT, with tens of thousands setting off on marches from Geneva and the French town of Annemasse to air a multitude of grievances against the policies of the world’s richest countries.

“I’m here to defend moral values — sharing, equality, peace in the world,” said Katia, from Geneva, as she marched behind banners expressing hopes such as “No G-8, no social cuts, no capitalism” or “End the occupation of Iraq — free Palestine.”

The police kept a low profile as the protest, headed by a long white banner saying “G-8, illegitimate”, began in a carnival atmosphere from the downtown English Garden park on Lake Geneva.

It filed past the chic Rue de Rhone shopping street, whose entrance was blocked by around 30 riot police backed by a water cannon, and headed east towards the border with France, about 10 km away.

Dozens of black-hooded protesters in Geneva blocked bridges with burning tyres after breaking into luxury stores and petrol stations overnight, daubing walls with slogans against the meeting many of them see as a selfish rich club.

They hoped to stop delegates crossing the city but had little chance of disrupting the tightly guarded summit itself.

The violence threatened to overshadow peaceful marches nearby in which tens of thousands of persons chanted slogans against the war in Iraq and world poverty.

The “G-8” includes industrialised Western nations and Russia, but leaders of some poorer countries have also been invited.

Molotov cocktails were lobbed at the main theatre in Geneva, self-proclaimed ‘’humanitarian capital’’ of the world that hosts major relief agencies — but which also attracts the world’s ultra-rich with its discreet private banks and fine jewellers.

“We want these people arrested and punished. We want the population to be able to get on with a normal life,” said Geneva councillor Christian Ferrazino, touring the damage.

In Lausanne, protesters, many wearing balaclavas, masks and trademark anarchist black T-shirts, also targeted shops and gas stations and chanted “No blood for oil”, a clear reference to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The police eventually moved in, driving protesters towards the outskirts of the lakeside city and making a number of arrests.

Lausanne said it was banning a previously authorised anti-G-8 demonstration set for later in the day and the police urged local residents to remain indoors. Agencies