From the first World Economic Summit in 1975 up until the violent clashes of Genoa in the summer of 2001, the authors of this chronology trace the history of the anti-globalisation movement and its protest actions.
November 15 -19 1975
The first World Economic Summit (G7) took place in Rambouillet upon the suggestion of French Premier Giscard d’Estaing. The seven participant countries were the USA, Canada, Japan, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain and Italy. The summit took place primarily in response to the oil crisis, which had erupted in autumn 1973, and its negative consequences on the global economy.
June 2 – 28 1976
The participants of the second World Economic Summit (G7) met in San Juan (Puerto Rico) with the aim of strengthening the ties between the Western industrial nations.
May 7 – 8 1977
During the third World Economic Summit (G7) in London, the Heads of Government declared their support for the increased expansion of atomic energy.
July 16 – 17 1978
On the fourth World Economic Summit (G7) in Bonn, policies to speed up economic development were decided and a general strategy against unemployment was discussed.
June 28 – 29 1979
The fifth World Economic Summit (G7) in Tokyo focussed on the new increases in oil prices and the necessity to ensure a secured energy supply for the future.
June 22 – 23 1980
During the sixth World Economic Summit in Venice, the seven Heads of Government decided on the goal of throttling crude oil use by 1990. -In Rome, the Italian government banned all demonstrations against US President Jimmy Carter.
July 20 – 21 1981
The seventh World Economic Summit (G7) in Ottawa was dominated by the themes of unemployment, inflation, protectionist measure, energy and the North-South dialogue.
June 4 – 6 1982
The Heads of Government decided on common policies in economic and currency questions, technology and employment during the eighth World Economic Summit (G7) in Versailles. -On June 5, 20,000 anti-armaments protesters demonstrated in Paris for peace and against US President Ronald Reagan’s presence. In the preceding night, „Action direct“ had staged an attack on the Paris representative of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. A Molotov cocktail was also thrown on the American school in Paris.
May 28 – 30 1983
Security and economic policy were the focus of the ninth World Economic Summit (G7) in Williamsburg (USA).
June 7 – 8 1984
At the tenth World Economic Summit (G7) in London, the Western industrial nations could not reach an agreement on a common concept for the redistribution of Third World debt. However, they did pass a communiqué about international terrorism, East-West relations and the Iran-Iraq war and its consequences on shipping in the Gulf. -An alternative World Economic Summit was staged at the same time under the title of „Global Challenge: Out of the Crisis, Out of Poverty“. Politicians and economists from Europe, the USA and the Third World participated in this meeting.
May 2 – 4 1985
The disagreement between the USA and France, in particular France’s double „no“ to the „Star Wars“ Programme (SDI), dominated the eleventh World Economic Summit (G7) in Bonn. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the defeat of national-socialist Germany in the Second World War, the seven Heads of State declared that a reunion of Germany would be legitimate. -The protests against the summit meeting began on May 2 with actions in front of branches of the Deutsche Bank. On May 3, the action union „For a World without Exploitation, Submission and Intervention“, supported by the Green Party and independent peace groups, organised a „Tribunal against the World Economic Summit“ in the town hall of St. Godesberg. The dominating theme for the 800 participants was the US economic embargo against Nicaragua. At the end of the „Anti-Summit“, several hundred police officers forcibly searched all cars parked in front of the summit location. On May 4, more than 25,000 participants demonstrated under the banner of „No Peace for the Summit“. The demonstration, which had started peacefully, ended in violent clashes between some of the demonstrators and the police, who were present with 5,000 officers. Some demonstrators were seriously injured, eleven police officers lightly wounded. 60 arrests were made; shattered glass amounted to damages of about 100,000 Deutsche Marks.
May 4 – 6 1986
On the twelfth World Economic Summit in Tokyo. the seven Heads of Government decided on tighter co-ordination of economic ties and voiced their support for the increased fight against terrorism, for nuclear safety and for the continuation of the East-West dialogue. -The Japanese organisation Kamukaei-Gun described the summit meeting in flyers as a „capitalist scheme“ for the start of a world war. They also claimed responsibility for rockets that had been fired over the guest house of the Japanese government and had exploded near the Canadian embassy. The rockets did not cause any damage.
June 8 – 10 1987
The Heads of State of the G7 States met in Venice for the 13th World Economic Summit, where, in addition to economic questions, they discussed such political issues as the situation in Afghanistan, human rights in the Soviet Union and the safety of oil transports in the Persian Gulf. Several thousand demonstrators met in Venice for the occasion; their protests were primarily aimed at Ronald Reagan. -Bombs exploded in front of the British and US Embassies in Rome on the second day of the negotiations, no-one was hurt. The „International Anti-Imperialist Brigades“ claimed responsibility for the attacks.
June 19 – 21 1988
At the 14th World Economic Summit in Toronto, the government representatives of the G7 States met together with a delegation from the EC Commission. The talks focussed on the fundamental change in international relations through the spread of information technology and the growing globalisation of the markets. -Parallel to the summit, around 500 representatives of international Third World and economic groups participated in the „Other Economic Summit“.
August 18 1988
The first large-scale organised protests against the planned construction of dams in the Indian Narmada River, which would endanger the livelihood of over a million people as well as various habitats, took place in India. Medha Patkar emerged as the central figure of the resistance movement. He founded the movement „Narmada Bachao Andolan“ (Save the Narmada) in 1989 and won many international supporters. One of the main sponsors of the construction plans was the World Bank.
September 26 – 29 1988
As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and representatives of the World Bank met in West Berlin, about 150 international Organisations, including many development, political and religious groups, trade unions and parties, issued a call for protest events, which was followed by over 80,000 people. On the fringes of the demonstrations there were street blockades and stones and paint bombs were thrown at banks and hotels suspected to be housing the colloquium participants. Furthermore, cars were set on fire. The police used truncheons, water-throwers and tanks; several people were hurt, an „alternative investigations committee“ reported over 936 arrests. – 1,800 people demonstrated peacefully in Hamburg against the colloquium in Berlin; several hundred demonstrators were counted on the streets of Bremen, G�ttingen and other German cities.
September 17 – 27 1990
The IMF and World Bank met in Washington, D.C. for a colloquium. About 80 demonstrators protested in front of the conference building and about 150 anti-globalisation protesters [1] participated simultaneously in an alternative forum.
September 29 – 30 1990
On the occasion of the world summit on the situation of children organised by the United Nations in New York, 400 Indian children marched to New Delhi in order to protest against child labour and to persuade the international community not to buy goods produced with child labour.
December 3 1990
During the final conference of the GATT World Trade talks in Brussels, anti-globalisation protesters organised a protest conference titled „GATTastrophe“. Over 10,000 farmers from Europe as well as delegations from the USA, Japan and South Korea met for a demonstration, which was accompanied by 3,500 Belgian police officers. – Protests had already taken place world-wide in preparation for the Conference. In Argentina, as well as in Japan and in Switzerland, thousands of farmers protested against the agreement. In the US, a national coalition of environmental and consumer organisations was formed as a „Working Group on Trade and Ecologically Sustainable Development“.
July 1 1991
About 50,000 Japanese farmers demonstrated in Tokyo against the rice import embargo that broke with the international trade laws of GATT.
July 15 -17 1991
For their annual summit meeting, the Presidents of the leading industrial nations invited the soviet State and Party Chief Mikhail Gorbachev as a guest to London. The G7 meeting was thus expanded into a G7-plus-1-summit.
July 6 – 8 1991
The Heads of State of the G7 member states as well as a representative of the EC Commission met for the World Economic Summit in Munich. Boris Yeltsin, successor of Chief of State and Government Mikhail Gorbachev, was also present for the first time. -On the weekend before the beginning of the conference, there was a largely peaceful large-scale demonstration with about 17,000 participants to remind of the subjects not to be officially discussed such as Third World debt, environmental destruction and the dying out of ancient cultures. When several thousand demonstrators were still near the conference centre at the opening of the conference, about 500 persons were arrested after being encircled by several hundred security officers. On the following day, 6,000 anti-globalisation demonstrators participated again in protest activities demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Stoiber and Munich Chief of Police Koller. In the meantime, the state representatives discussed their countries‘ economic weakness and the threatening situation in former Yugoslavia behind closed doors.
September 16 1992
In Bonn, several dozen demonstrators blocked the approach road to the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development before the autumn conference of the World Bank. The blockade action was co-ordinated amongst others by the „Action Community Solidary World“, „Rain Forest and Animal Protection“ , BUND and Robin Wood and took place in protest to the construction of dams in the Indian Narmada River. December 1 1992
On the occasion of the planned GATT Compromise between EC and USA, the European farmers unions issued a call for demonstrations in Strasbourg. 40,000 Farmers followed the call, arriving primarily from Germany and France but also from Japan, South Korea and Canada. The Police used stun grenades. When one demonstrator tried to pick up one of the grenades, his hand was blown off. Damage of DM 235,000 was also incurred.
March 3 – 4 1993
Ten-thousands of Indian farmers met in New Delhi for two days of protests against the GATT agreements, which included plans for patenting seeds and thus offered the transnational companies a monopoly on the sales of successful types of seed.
July 7 – 9 1993
Already for the third time in the history of the World Economic Summits, this meeting of the seven leading economic nations took place in Tokyo. Russian President Boris Yeltsin was present as a guest, like he had been in the previous year.
November 1993
Many rice farmers, supported by the opposition parties, protested in Seoul against the opening of the South Korean rice market. Heavy clashes with the police ensued.
December 4 1993
Several thousand farmers from Switzerland, France, Spain, Japan, India, Canada and the USA demonstrated against the Free Trade Agreement in front of the GATT Building in Geneva. The farmers feared that the agreement may destroy their traditional ways of life.
December 15 1993
The term for completion of the GATT Contract, counting many hundred pages, ended on this day at midnight local time in Washington, D.C.. While the mediators of the member states met in Geneva, thousands of students and farmers took to the streets in Asia in order to protest against the planned liberalisation of the global market. – There were uprisings in India after it became known that Prime Minister Rao agreed to the GATT result. -In Seoul, street fights erupted between demonstrators and police. Leading Indian and Pakistani politicians complained that the US were not willing to reduce their tax on textiles far enough. -In Geneva, Greenpeace members charged the participating states in a demonstration to come through on their promises made during the „Environment and Development Summit“ in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro.
January 1 1994
Upon the North American Free trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico coming into force, the Zapatistic Freedom Army EZLN, under the leadership of Subcommandante Marcos, occupied several villages in the South-East Mexican state of Chiapas. They wanted to draw attention to the feared increased exploitation of the population through the pact and wanted to set a signal against the global economic order. The rebels included women and children. -During the clashes with the Mexican army, which entered into the crisis area with nearly 12,000 soldiers, heavy firing and bombings ensued. Shops were plundered and set alight in the occupied villages. Many died, particularly among the EZLN, but also among the army. The rebellion ended in a cease-fire after twelve days.
April 5 – 6 1994
More the 150,000 Indians protested for two days in New Delhi against the GATT Agreement for the liberalisation of world trade before its upcoming signature. The police reacted to the demonstrators‘ shots of arrows, stone and sandal throws with water canons and tear gas. The clashes resulted in 80 injured, including several police officers with arrow wounds.
April 15 1994
After 7 years of discussions between the 122 member states, the GATT Agreement on the liberalisation of world trade was signed in Marrakech. This simultaneously laid the foundation for the new World Trade Organisation, WTO, which was to succeed GATT from 1995 onwards. -Already in the preparatory phase, the industrial states, led by the US and France, pushed for a clause on social dumping. Particularly India and other Asian States showed resistance to this.
July 8 – 10 1994
The annual meeting of the G7 heads of state took place in Naples. For the third time, Boris Yeltsin participated in the talks as representative of the Russian Federation. The protest summit „Eco-summit“ was simultaneously held in the historical town hall of the Italian harbour town.
December 9 – 10 1994
The European Union Heads of State met for a summit in Essen. A large demonstration, announced for December 10th, the second day of the summit, by a leftist coalition, was forbidden on grounds of the anticipated participation of „a large number of autonomous, extremist and violent“ persons. -For fear of terrorist attacks, the police took strict security measures in advance: canal coverings were soldered shut, bins taken down. 8,000 police officers, including units from the SEK, the special forces, were present. -When the demonstration went ahead regardless on December 10th, the police encircled the participants and arrested 918 demonstrators. -The eurocritical protest summit on December 11th, on the other hand, took place without any incidents.
May 30 – June 2 1996
About 1,000 visitors from 26 European countries participated in a „Continental Meeting for a Humanist Society and against Neo-liberalism“ under the banner of „Ya basta – Enough!“ in Berlin. The meeting was organised by the Mexico Group of the Berlin Research and Documentation Centre on Chile and Latin America.
July 27 – August 3 1996
The „First Intercontinental Meeting for a Humanist Society and against Neo-liberalism“ took place in the Mexican state of Chiapas upon the invitation of the EZLN. Several thousand people from over 100 states participated in the symposium and in fundamental discussions about neo-liberalism and possible forms of resistance.
June 14 – 15 1997
On the occasion of the EU summit of the 15 heads of state, about 50,000 people met in Amsterdam in order to protest against decisions regarded as anti-social. The demonstration was called out by representatives of social clubs, unions, women’s and lesbian groups, environmental and youth groups. On the fringes, some minor damage was incurred by stone-throws and acts of sabotage. Several hundred persons were arrested.
July 25 – August 3 1997
The „Second Intercontinental Meeting for a Humanist Society and Against Neo-liberalism“ took place in several locations in Spain. About 4,000 people from the whole world answered the invitation of the EZLN and the various solidarity committees. Over the course of a week, subjects such as environment, economy, culture, patriarchy, ecology and marginalisation were discussed with the aim of linking the different resistance movements.
January 17 1998
Under the leadership of the unionists and children’s rights activist, the „Global March against Child Labour“ began in Manila with over 10,000 participants, largely children. One march passed through several Asian countries until May 3. On June 3, they met in Geneva with other marching groups from other parts of the world for the opening of the 86th Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The aim of the campaign was to mobilise the world public against child labour.
February 23 – 25 1998
400 representatives of different anti-globalisation organisations from all five continents met in Geneva for the establishment of the world-wide network „People’s Global Action“ (PGA). The incentive for the meeting was the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI) reached by the OECD countries.
May 2 1998
Several hundred-thousands of people, including many workers and farmers, protested against the WTO in the Indian town of Hyderabad. They demand India’s retreat from the WTO.
May 15 – 17 1998
For the first time, the Russian Federation took part in the World Economic Summit, which was thus henceforth to be known as the „G-8 Summit“. Ten-thousands demonstrated against the meeting in the summit location Birmingham, including numerous members of environment and social organisations. Action days were organised parallel to the summit by the „People’s Global Action“ (PGA) in over 100 cities world-wide.
May 16 1998
Following a call by the PGA, several thousand globalisation opponents protested in Geneva against the 3rd WTO Ministers Conference, beginning there on May 18. During the excesses, shop windows were smashed and several cars were set alight. The police made over 20 arrests.
June 3 1998
In Paris, the French weekly Le Monde Diplomatique gave the incentive for the establishment of „Attac“. The acronym stands for „Action pour une taxation des transactions financiers pour l’aide aux citoyens“ (Action for a Tobin Tax to Aid Citizens). It describes the idea to slow down the global economic development through the taxation of capital gains (Tobin tax).
October 17 1998
About 1,500 members came together on the first national meeting of „Attac“ in La Ciotàt close to the French harbour town of Marseilles.
May / June 1999
500 Indian farmers and 100 representatives from other countries of the Third World travelled through Europe in order to draw attention to the effects the global economic system had on their living conditions. The „Intercontinental Caravan for Solidarity and Resistance“ was co-ordinated by the PGA.
June 3 1999
The EU Summit that had already been demonstrated against throughout Europe on May 29, began in Cologne. The protest summit was largely attended by delegates from groups of the unemployed, unions and anti-racism groups, who voiced their demands for the tariff compensation for work places and shorter working hours.
June 18 – 20 1999
Several ten-thousands protesters met for demonstrations during the G8-Summit in Cologne. 35,000 people formed a human chain organised by the campaign for „Debt-Free 2000“. For some time, the chain surrounded the conference centre of the economic summit.
November 30 – December 30 1999
During the WTO conference in Seattle, 135 nations discussed the further reduction of trade barriers. Protest demonstrations already began on the morning of November 30. Over 40,000 people demonstrated against the WTO conference over the course of the day. Militant demonstrators disturbed the arrival of the conference participants by blocking street crossings and chaining themselves together. They even managed to put a halt to the elaborate opening ceremony. There were heavy clashes in the streets with police, who employed tear gas. At least 60 persons were arrested. The mayor of Seattle decreed a night-time curfew in response and requested the support of the national guard. The demonstrations continued during the following days. The police arrested about 450 participants. The WTO conference failed in the end because the 135 participant states could not agree on an agenda for the negotiation round about the further opening of world trade. The „Battle of Seattle“ went down in history as the biggest demonstration in the US since the days of the civil rights movements and the Vietnam protests.
January 27 – February 1 2000
During the 30th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, with the participation of US President Bill Clinton, about 100 demonstrators came together to protest despite the strict security measures. On January 29, hundreds of police officers and 70 soldiers tried to keep the participants of a forbidden demonstration from the forum location with the use of water-throwers, tear gas and warning shots. The activists nevertheless broke through three police barriers on their march towards the congress centre. During the excesses, which were directed for example against a branch of McDonald’s, physical damage of 100,000 Francs was incurred.
April 16 – 18 2000
The spring meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. was accompanied by massive clashes. Days before the conference, over 1,000 globalisation protesters had already been arrested for some hours during demonstrations. The roughly 20,000 protesters met with tear gas, pepper gas and police truncheons. The demonstrations nevertheless had a carnevalistic touch – many of the protesters had donned imaginative clothing and over-dimensional dolls were carried around, intended to represent the international capital.
July 21 – 23 2000
The eight Chiefs of State and Government as well as the President of the European Commission met in Okinawa for the 26th World Economic Summit (G8). 22,000 security officers were employed for their protection. Using the attention of the world public, 27,000 demonstrators formed a human chain around the US military base Kadena on Okinawa. They demanded the withdrawal of the US soldiers stationed on the island.
September 11 -13 2000
As a follow-up meeting to the World Economic Summit in Davos, the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit was held in Melbourne. Several thousand globalisations opponents demonstrated against the conference, facing 2,000 police officers. When the police violently broke through the blockade of demonstrators in front of the congress centre, many were seriously injured.
September 26 – 27 2000
The annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fond took place in Prague. -Upon the invitation of Czech President Václav Havel, representatives of the World Bank and the IMF met on September 23 with anti-globalisation groups for a podium discussion. The anti-globalisation groups demanded that a complete debt relief for the poorest countries be pushed through by the general director of the Monetary Fond Horst K�hler and the head of the World Bank James Wolfensohn. -Several thousand took part in peaceful protests in the inner city of Prague on September 23 and 24. -The annual meeting is protected by about 11,000 police officers and soldiers. They countered the 15,000 demonstrators with tanks, water-throwers, tear gas and rubber truncheons. Fully-fledged street battles occured. The congress centre was blocked by demonstrators for two hours. 30 people were hurt during the clashes, including 20 police officers The windows of American establishments were broken. 420 people were arrested, including 130 foreign nationals. -The protests summit „Social Movements and Globalisation“, organised by Inpeg (Initiative Protesting against Economic Globalisation), took place in Prague on September 22-24.
December 7 – 10 2000
100,000 protesters, largely French unionists, caused massive disruptions to the EU summit in Nice. There were heavy street clashes. The 11,000 police officers employed tear gas and truncheons. Cars were set alight and a bank branch was set on fire. -A demonstration of 60,000, largely French, unionists had already taken place on December 5 in Nice.
January 25 – 30 2001
The 31st World Economic Forum took place in Davos. For security reasons, the conference location was hermetically sealed off. Nevertheless, there were clashes with 200-300 demonstrators, who were bombarded with water-throwers despite temperatures below 0ºC. Protests took place in Zurich instead of Davos. The police employed rubber pellets and tear gas. Cars and shop windows were broken. The physical damage incurred amounted to several hundred-thousands of Francs. About 100 arrests were made. – 1,200 people participated in the protest conference „The other Davos“.
January 25 – 30 2001
15,000 Activists from 122 countries met in Porto Allegre for the first World Social Forum, the summit of the anti-globalisation protesters.
April 22 – 23 2001
Representatives of 34 American states met in Quebec for an economic summit to establish a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Far over 30,000 protesters took part in a „March of the People“. 600 police officers were moved in. They employed water-throwers, tear gas and rubber pellets against the demonstrators. Stones and sand-filled bottles were thrown, as well as flame-throwers; barriers and walls were torn down. 46 officers and 57 activists were injured. The police arrested 250 demonstrators. Altogether, 6,000 police officers were moved in during the meeting. -The protest summit „People of America“ took place on April 21. -In protest to the summit in Quebec, about 1000 anti-globalisation protesters met in São Paolo for a declaration. However, they were dispersed by police with tear gas and rubber truncheons.
June 15 -16 2001
During the EU Summit in Gothenburg, violent clashes between police and demonstrators occurred, particularly on June 14. The congress centre was surrounded with containers stacked two meters high. 2,000 police officers faced altogether 20-30,000 protesters. The seemingly helpless security forces reacted with disproportional violence. They used truncheons, horses and dogs. Devastation ensued during the clashes. Parts of the inner city of Gothenburg were turn into a battlefield. Bricks and Molotov cocktails were thrown. The damage incurred reached into the millions. The 77 injured included 20 police officers. Three demonstrators had been wounded by pistol shots from the police. 900 participants were arrested, hundreds expelled from the country. Weeks later, the courts in Gothenburg sentenced anti-globalisation protesters to high jail sentences.
June 25 – 27 2001
The development politics conference called out by the World Bank in Barcelona was cancelled on account of expected protests. A declaration was nevertheless made in front of several thousand participants on June 24 – clashes occurred. The police also beat up defenceless people. Windows were smashed. 33 people were injured, 22 arrested. – From June 22-23, a protest summit was organised, action days took place June 25-27.
July 1 – 3 2001
The World Economic Forum Eastern Europe (WEF) met in Salzburg. Yugoslavia and the Eastern European ascendancy candidates were the focus of the meeting. Austria’s border controls were intensified. 1,500 people came to a declaration and demonstration on July 1. On the same day, there also took place a protest summit. About 7,000 police officers in fighter clothing were employed. Many demonstrators were encircled, some of them strangulated. Stones were thrown. 13 people were arrested.
July 20 – 22 2001
In Genoa, the eight Chiefs of State and Government as well as the president of the European Commission met for the 27th World Economic Summit (G8). 10,000 police officers and 5,000 special forces members of the Italian Army as well as other security forces – including paratroopers, specialist divers and units with anti-aircraft guns – were deployed to protect the conference centre, a palace in the heart of the old town of Genoa. Important civil rights were already denied in the preparatory stages. A four meter high iron fence separated the forbidden „red zone“, in which the Chiefs of State and Government literally besieged themselves, from the free part of the city. The inhabitants of this part of town were not allowed to receive visitors for days. Sharpshooters were placed on terraces and balconies. Windows had to be kept closed. For security reasons, the statesmen slept on cruise ships in the harbour. Train and air traffic to Genoa was halted for days, motorway exits were blocked, bus, underground and tram traffic was largely stopped -In expectation of clashes that would demand the flow of much blood as well as many victims, 200 stretchers, 200 bodybags and 300 plastic coffins were prepared. Entry into Italy was screened most seriously, many young people had to turn back at the border. Nevertheless heavy street fights ensued in the inner city already on July 20, the first day of the conference. During the course of these clashes, 23-year old Carlo Guiliani was fatally shot by a police officer during his attempt to attack a police van with a fire extinguisher. The police stormed the headquarters of the „Genoa Social Forum“, the main organisation of the anti-globalisation protesters, in the night of July 21-22. Everyone sleeping there was beaten out of their sleep with steel torches, wooden truncheons and fists and injured so badly that many had to be taken to hospital. Many were arrested. -The sums at the end of the World Economic Summit: 300,000 people took part in the protests. Altogether 20,000 police officers were deployed. 231 people, including 121 demonstrators, 94 police officers and carabinieri as well as 16 journalists were injured, some of them seriously. Some of the 288 arrested were retained in jail for weeks. The physical damage amounted to 50 Million Euro. The inner city looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Whole areas of the city were devastated: burnt-out cars, damaged vehicles, broken windows, ravaged shops, bank branches and travel agencies. – In Italy, more the 10,000 people protested on July 24 against the brutal actions of the police. On August 20, the „Global Action Day“, there were global protests against the arrests of demonstrators during the G8 Summit in Genoa.
Source: https://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/chronik_en.html