As the leaders of 17 countries, including Britain,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, China and the United States
gathered in the earthquake-devastated city of L’Aquila on July 7, the ground
shook beneath their feet, sparking concern over whether it was safe enough to
hold the high-profile summit there.
Italian authorities had decided
to hold the Group of Eight (G8) summit, which ran from July 8 to 10, in the quake-hit region
as an expression of solidarity and to help reconstruction efforts. Hundreds of
aftershocks have continued to rock the region since the April 6 earthquake that
killed nearly 300 people and displaced 50,000, many of whom are living in tent
cities in L’Aquila
and environs. Recent aftershocks, however, have not caused further casualties
or damage to buildings.
As always, the summit focused on key international
issues; this year’s topics included preventing a recurrence of the worldwide
economic crisis; international crises in Afghanistan,
the Middle East, Iran and Iraq; food security in Africa;
and climate change.
This year’s summit also included talks with leaders of
developing and smaller countries, in all 39 countries and international
organizations, representing 90 percent of the world’s economy.
In response to violent riots in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region,
Chinese president Hu Jintao returned home after visiting Rome,
Florence and Pisa, leaving delegates to participate in the
talks.
Security was very tight throughout the duration of the
summit, as local law enforcement officials feared a resurgence of violent
protests by No Global activists from across Europe.
The 27 activists arrested in Rome
on July 7 were among 150 protesters who demonstrated there. Five French youths
and a small group of Dutch nationals armed with batons were arrested in the
towns of Pettino and Carsoli, both near the site of the summit.
The summit was also marked by a
series of peaceful protests, like that by a group of environmentalists from 18
countries who scaled smokestacks and occupied five coal-fired Italian power
plants owned by Italian energy giant Enel.
A large group of Abruzzo
residents currently living in tent cities displayed a massive protest sign on a
hillside near the town of Onna:
‘Yes, we camp.’
