Police in France used a water cannon and tear gas on about 400 anti-capitalist protesters who were blocking roads near the G-7 summit on Saturday.
While the crowd in Bayonne was mostly peaceful, with many demonstrators dancing, some reportedly threw rocks at police, prompting officers to respond with warning shots and a blast of a water cannon. The incident occurred near a bridge that police were barricading a bridge as part of security measures for the summit.
Water cannon at #G7 protests #Bayonne pic.twitter.com/uBbHHx1CBR
— Darren of Plymouth ?? (@DarrenPlymouth) August 24, 2019
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters marched peacefully from southwest France to the Spanish border, calling for more action from world leaders on climate change and economic inequality.
“There is too much inequality in this world, and I am here to demonstrate peacefully against this G-7 … to tell (the leaders) that they do not go into the good direction on the climate and other things,” an attendee said.
Despite the use of the water cannon and tear gas, regional police have not yet reported any arrests.
President Trump is attending the G-7 summit, joined by other world leaders from six other nations.
