G20 protesters are planning to “kettle” world leaders attending the upcoming summit of world leaders, as police warn that they may not be able to contain the demonstrations.
Protesters planning to disrupt the July 7-8 G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg, Germany, have announced their intention to kettle the meeting, as police suggest that the inner-city choice of venue will make it more difficult to protect participants.
The upcoming annual G20 summit, which will be attended by world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump, is primarily concerned with global financial stability.
Hamburg, an important German port city on the Elbe River leading to the North Sea, has limited access routes, and security operatives charged with policing the event have complained of the ease with which protesters will be able to block roads, according to the Guardian.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly chose her birthplace, a "beacon of free trade," which she said was "almost predestined" to host the event.
The annual meeting of the world's top industrial and developing economies will see unprecedented protest actions, however, as demonstrations against globalization, the rise of nationalism embodied in the person of US President Trump, and an increase in corporatization contribute to renewed commitment to disrupt the halls of power.
Law enforcement brought in from around the country is on high alert, as Hamburg has a long history of anti-government protests and annual May Day riots, according to the Guardian.
Violence ahead of the event has already been recorded as police decry the summit's location.
"Many of my colleagues and I find it incomprehensible that another big city has been chosen for such a gathering after the terrible events of Genoa," stated Association of Criminal Police spokesperson Jan Reinicke, in an interview with the Guardian.
"Why Hamburg when you could have held the G20 in, say, a forest in Bavaria or on Heligoland?" added Reinicke.
The presence at the meeting of several polarizing leaders, including Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is thought to be adding to the attention placed on the G20 this particular year.
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