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Two people chat in front of graffiti made by anti-G7 activists in Hendaye on August 22, 2019. ANDER GILLENEA / AFP

The G7 opens this Saturday, August 24 in Biarritz in the south-west of France. Meanwhile, thousands of opponents to this meeting are already gathered in Hendaye for a counter-G7. 4,000 activists took up residence in a huge camp.

With our special correspondent in Hendaye, Pierre Olivier

These are quite different profiles. The camp includes people ranging from the 23-year-old anarchist to the feminist who has already made several summits anti-G7, through "yellow vests" or young people who define themselves as part of the movement proclimat .

But all agree on one thing: this G7 summit is the old school and they intend to make their voices heard, despite some differences in point of view here and there.

This counter-G7 is organized on two sites. First of all there is the camp, where are gathered and where these thousands of activists sleep. Then there is also where the workshops and congresses take place. This is happening in Irun, on the Spanish side of the border.

For lunch, you cross the small street in front, there are solidarity canteens. It's free access, it's vegetarian, vegan.

[Reportage] At the camp of the anti-G7, everyday life is organized 23/08/2019 - by Pierre Olivier Listen

On the agenda of this last day of reflection, it will be of course question of environment including a conference on the Amazonian forest that is on fire, but also on the oceans, or on gender equality around the world. These themes are quite diverse, but they seem to motivate and generate a lot of debate here among the various people present.

Then at the end of the day, a list of proposals will be written and broadcast hoping that the leaders who will meet on Saturday in Biarritz hear, see or read some excerpts.

The anti-G7 camp is being organized in Hendaye. RFI / Pierre Olivier

These three days of reflection will also be punctuated by militant actions. There will be from Saturday, a peace march organized in Hendaye in the morning, 30 km south of Biarritz.

Then, several activists admitted that they expected to get as close as possible to Biarritz in the afternoon. The seaside resort is however sanctuarized for a few days, but they want to make their voices heard despite the police system. Some want to get as close as possible and that's where maybe some clashes could take place.

  • Oxfam declines a lunch with Macron

In a statement, the NGO accuses summit leaders of promoting inequalities in their own countries and around the world. The organization even declined a lunch that President Emanuel Macron is organizing on Friday with a number of international NGOs.

For the moment, NGOs are excluded from this G7. Overall, they have not been heard on their claims, on the merits of the cases so far. They have not been sufficiently associated with the work. And the realization of all this is that we are preparing to have a G7 for the first time in ten years where, voluntarily, we exclude NGOs from the media center. NGOs are still officially accredited to interact with journalists, NGOs are refused accreditation.

Nicolas Vercken, Campaign and Advocacy Director at Oxfam 23/08/2019 - by Altin Lazaj Listen