G7 Summit: Avenue of Struggle – Part Two

Featured image: Demonstrators facing off against the repressive forces in the anti-G8 protests in Evian, France in 2003. Source: franceinfo

Whenever imperialists decide to gather in their many summits, be it NATO, WTO or the G7/G8 summits, the people will unite and take to the streets against them. This year will be no different, as imperialists gather in the G7 summit to be held in Evian, France, so will anti-imperialists, ready to bring the struggle to the streets.

The G7 (previously G8, when Russia was still participating) summits have a history of being a significant avenue of powerful and militant struggle, as with the massive and militant anti-G8 protests that took place in 2001 in Genoa, Italy, as we covered yesterday, gathering 300.000 demonstrators who struggled against fierce repression. However throughout the years many demonstrations have been carried out that are worth highlighting, among them the 2003 anti-G8 protests in Evian.

G8 Summit of 2003 – Evian, France

In 2003, the G8 summit, as it will be again this year, was organized in Evian, France, and a big demonstration had been organized to denounce the increasing wars of aggression, specifically the war on Iraq, with the summit being organized just a few months after the taking of Baghdad by Yankee imperialism.

In preparations for the struggle to come, the ongoing movement in defense of pension and social services in France, as well as the ongoing teacher strikes had been linked against imperialist policies, with cuts being imposed on the people to increase the capacity for imperial plunder. Today we see the same situation repeated, at this point as a farce, letting once again the people foot the bill of the ambitions of exploitation of imperialism.

All together, about 100,000 people had gathered in the streets of the cities surrounding Lake Geneva to express their hatred towards the butchers that were gathering to further plan the exploitation of the world. Political organizations, anti-imperialists, democrats, revolutionaries and progressives of all creeds had gathered from all over Europe to wage struggle against the imperialist summit.

In Geneva, road blocks were carried out in an attempt to hinder the movement of the delegates of the G8 summit. Despite repeated tear gas attacks, the protesters held their ground and the road block remained successful, forcing the delegates to travel by helicopter. Police had entered in the activist “villages”, where activists were sleeping, arresting 100’s. One demonstrator also got seriously injured after the repressive forces cut the rope he was hanging from, causing a fall of over 20 meters.

This year as every year, anti-imperialist, democrat and progressive organizations and individuals will gather in open opposition to the expansion of oppression and exploitation waged on the peoples of the world, be it the genocide carried out against the Palestinian people, or the various wars of aggression, exploitation and crimes committed against the oppressed countries of the world throughout the history of these imperialist powers and the sole hegemonic imperialist superpower, Yankee imperialism.

We will continue to update on any new information regarding the G7 summit and the upcoming demonstration.

Read our previous articles on the G7 summit: