Thousands holding banners and flags that read “G7 go to hell” or “TTIP kills,” turned out at the small German vacation town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, located in the Bavarian Mountains, Saturday to protest the meeting world leaders from the “Group of Seven” nations to discuss economic and national security issues.
President Obama, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and German President Angela Merkel were among the leaders attending the event.
The protesters, who came from across Europe blame the group, commonly called the “G-7,” for a variety of ills including poverty and environmental issues. German police report as many as 36,000 protestors were on hand.
An estimated 20,000 police and related security were on hand. A reported 30 protesters were sent to a hospital with minor injuries after they attempted to break through to a restricted area. Most were shot with pepper spray. The majority of the protests were peaceful.
The main issue of contention for the protesters was the proposed US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a major trade deal that the leaders are still negotiating. The U.K.’s Cameron was reportedly using the trip to urge the leaders to bring the talks to a conclusion.
The leaders argue the trade pact would benefit all nations, but the protesters saw it as undercutting their country’s economy and sovereignty.
“TTIP may bring some economic benefits for a tiny handful of the business elite but for the rest of us it would mean compromising vital public services, the stripping of regulations protecting labour rights and the environment, and a dramatic erosion of democratic process,” said Guy Taylor of Global Justice Now, according to London’s Guardian.
Local residents were amused by the spectacle but were glad it was only a temporary. “It was good to see this happen in our town. We haven’t had anything like it before,” Franz Muller told USA Today as a protest began to disperse, adding, “But I am happy that they are going home now.”
