Hendaye (France) (AFP)
The organizers of the counter-summit in the G7, which are waiting for 12,000 participants, assured Monday that they did not intend to provoke any degradation or confrontations with the police during the demonstrations planned for the summit of heads of state in Biarritz (August 24 to 26).
"We will act with calm and determination, we will not degrade anything, we will not participate in the bidding war," said Aurélie Trouvé, a member of the Alternatives G7 platform during a press conference in Hendaye.
"We will not enter into confrontation with the police and if there is repressive violence, we will oppose non-violent resistance techniques", added the activist during this presentation of the "stakes" and the counter-summit program.
From 19 August, the anti-G7 will take up residence in Urrugne, a neighboring town of Hendaye, a few kilometers from the Spanish border, to set up their camp of life.
From there, shuttles will take the expected 12,000 participants to the main conference and workshop venues in Irun and Hendaye, which will begin on August 21st. More than 200 speakers for 40 conferences and 50 workshops are announced for three days.
On August 24, the day of the launch of the summit of heads of state in Biarritz, a large demonstration will start from Hendaye to reach Irun, on the other side of the border.
The next day, actions "occupation of public places" will take place in seven towns bordering the seaside town, that the organizers want without degradation or violence.
Nearly 80 organizations are gathered in opposition groups, one local, G7 Ez, and the other national, Alternatives G7. "Setting up this counter-summit was a challenge and the challenge is successful.The program will combine many of the struggles that will shape the world of tomorrow," said Simon Playout, coordinator of the program.
During a ministerial visit on 4 July in Biarritz, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner warned that "any violent demonstration" during the G7 would be "neutralized".
© 2019 AFP