From blimps to Pikachus, protesters gather to demand G7 action

[June 11, 2021]  By Michael Holden

FALMOUTH, England (Reuters) - From blimps of U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to activists dressed in Pikachu costumes, hundreds of protesters have targeted the G7 summit in southwest England to demand action on the climate, poverty and COVID-19.

As leaders of some of the world's richest nations gather in picturesque Cornwall, so have dozens of campaign groups that want to court publicity for their causes and send a message to the Western political elite.

Leaders from the United States, Japan, Italy, Germany, France and Canada are joining Johnson on Friday for the three-day summit in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay.

Their meeting has also provided an opportunity for campaign groups to highlight the issues they say the G7 must address.

"We want the real Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and other G7 leaders gathering in Cornwall to be like these blimps and join the wave of hope," said Jamie Drummond from the Crack the Crises group which organised the blimp protest.

"That means they should stop hoarding and start sharing - sharing the money, doses and the tech to vaccinate the world; and deliver an historic green recovery deal."

Police have mounted a major security operation for the summit, with thousands of officers drafted in from across Britain. Some of those planning demonstrations have said they intended their protests to be noisy, disruptive and annoying.

Giant Pikachus were spotted outside the media centre in Falmouth at the start of the G7 summit to call on the Japanese government to stop burning coal by 2030.

On Friday officers said they had arrested seven people after stopping two cars in which they found paint, smoke grenades and megaphones.

"We continue to support the facilitation of safe and legal protest, but criminal activity and public disorder will not be tolerated," the police said in a statement.

However, those organising some of the protests accuse the authorities of oppressive tactics.

"When talking about how local people feel about protesters, it's really important to remember that lots of protesters are local," Resist G7, an ad-hoc collection of about 20 activist organisations, said on Twitter.

"It's the G7 that's disrupted us not the other way round."

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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