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Demonstrators on Munich's Theresienwiese: Interior Minister Faeser calls for non-violence
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
Thousands of police officers from the federal states are deployed at the G7 summit in Bavaria.
The federal police, in turn, rented their own alpine huts – 3,000 police officers are to accompany the demo in Munich on Saturday alone.
So far, there are likely to be almost as many emergency services as protesters: the large-scale demonstration at the G7 summit initially only met with cautious interest.
According to estimates by observers, a maximum of a low four-digit number of participants had gathered on the Theresienwiese at the beginning of the event.
However, a further influx of participants is expected.
The police reported about 3500 participants.
The demo will take place one day before the start of the summit in Elmau.
In advance, the number of participants was estimated at at least 20,000.
According to the Munich police, there were no reportable incidents until shortly before the rally began.
Police expect black block
The Munich police had stated that they were expecting a lively crowd at the protest event, also because of the good weather.
According to her, a black block with a high three-digit number of people could also cause unrest.
The nationwide mobilization is not as strong as at the G7 summit seven years ago, it said.
15 anti-globalisation associations from Attac to the environmental organization WWF called for the demo.
The rally has four focal points: the exit from fossil fuels, the preservation of animal and plant diversity, social justice on the planet and the fight against hunger.
»Climate crisis, species extinction, inequality: The G7 countries are responsible for the fact that the global social and ecological crises are becoming ever more dramatic.
Stop it.
Justice can be done differently«, says the call for participation.
"We expect it to be a peaceful, colorful and beautiful demonstration," said the organizer of the rally, Uwe Hiksch from the Friends of Nature.
The Campact association, which specializes in online campaigns, Greenpeace, the Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation, Misereor and Bread for the World are also involved.
The managing director of Greenpeace Germany, Martin Kaiser, also emphasized that the protest in Munich must be non-violent.
"For us, that's the clear limit," Kaiser told the "Passauer Neue Presse."
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also called on the critics of the G7 summit to promote non-violence.
"I expect all demonstrators to protest peacefully, not hurting anyone and not destroying cars or shops," said the SPD politician "t-online".
Groups from the left-wing extremist scene caused her the greatest concern.
Shipping container to protect vintage cars
Further south, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen near Elmau Castle, numerous shops and restaurants are already closing.
Some bars in the tourist resort at the foot of the Zugspitze were already closed on Saturday, one day before the summit began, and their outdoor areas were closed.
In many shops and also in a bank branch there were notices indicating closures for the time of the summit, which is supposed to last from Sunday to Tuesday.
Unlike at the last G7 meeting in Elmau seven years ago, there were initially no large barriers or barricades.
In 2015, many residents were particularly concerned about the colorful so-called Lüftlmalereien on the facades of their houses.
"We're relying on the police this time," said the owner of a gift shop.
However, an auction house that specializes in classic cars brought up heavier artillery.
Shipping containers were positioned in front of it to protect the old cars.
As in 2015, the G7 summit will be held at Schloss Elmau in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
From June 26th to 28th, the heads of state and government of seven leading Western industrialized countries and some guest countries will meet there.
In addition to Germany, the G7 group includes the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan.
A total of around 18,000 police officers are on duty around the summit.
apr/dpa
