G20 Summit: Italian Police coerces protesting pro-climate activists away from the venue

Italian police on October 30 forced the pro-climate protesters out of the main boulevard near the G-20 summit site in Rome as they were blocking the entrance to the center just hours before the leaders of the United States, Britain, France, and other developed nations arrived on Saturday. To gain the spotlight, several demonstrators sat down, blocking the road, demanding the government leaders to take decisive actions against the worsening climate change. They chanted slogans and flashed banners that read, “From Rome to Glasgow, your solutions are the problem” ahead of the crucial summit in Scotland, the Italian media reported.

Italy’s police forces 'bodily' coerces protetsers out of the way 

After they refused to budge or leave the way clear for the world leaders, protesters were moved bodily by Italy’s police forces from their spots where they had been lying down or sitting on the pavement, blocking traffic. The demonstrations were spared outside the summit venue after the United States Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm over world leaders’ failure in committing to the net-zero pledges, as he warned in a statement that humanity was facing a “calamitous” rise in global temperatures that could lead to disastrous consequences. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will welcome world leaders to Glasgow, sounded similar concerns as he told reporters while boarding his flight that he will push the global leaders on their commitments to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Protesters who had gathered in front of the G20 venue on Saturday were also joined by tax justice campaigners who derided what they labelled the “tax deal of wealthy” by the G20 before the People's Assembly for Tax Justice. Several protests, ahead of the G20 summit, were also witnessed in Washington, DC as US President Joe Biden departed for Europe.

Activists held a rally demanding that Biden makes the COVID-19 vaccine available to all countries, and swears by global vaccine equity. Protesters took the rally to the White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients as Biden headed to the G20 summit in Italy. Legislators and representatives from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) had also gathered earlier yesterday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome to stage a protest against China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi's visit and demand a tougher stance towards the Chinese government.