Unwelcoming the G8

When the leaders of the world's eight most powerful countries arrive in Sea Island, Georgia for the Group of Eight (G8) Summit from June 8-10, activists from around the globe will be there to unwelcome them. With the Democratic and Republican National Conventions right around the corner, many protesters are converging at the G8 Summit to kick off what will be a summer of dissent.

The G8 Summits began in 1975 and currently include leaders from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Russia and this year's president of the European Union (a rotating position currently assigned to the Prime Minister of Ireland). Leaders from each country meet at the Summits annually to coordinate efforts around such issues as international trade, the war on drugs and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This year's meeting will be dominated by talks regarding the conflicts in the Middle East, global economic growth and the war on terror.

To protest the centralization of power that the G8 represent, and to create an alternative gathering of the minds, activist groups in Georgia have planned parallel events, forums and film screenings on topics ranging from biodiesel to human rights. The scheduled marches will focus on environmental issues, ending the occupation of Iraq and dropping IMF/World Bank debt for impoverished countries. In addition to daily demonstrations, a Fair World Fair and People's Summit are scheduled to take place in Brunswick, a city near Sea Island.

Isabelle Myles, a pastor and long-time resident of Brunswick, Ga. said one of the major topics among speakers at the People's Summit will be the environment. Toxic waste from the Hercules and the Georgia Pacific plants, which manufacture wood pulp and products extracted from pine stumps, have been contaminating the area for years. As a result, Brunswick has one of the highest cancer rates in the country.

Myles said the People's Summit will be a forum for citizens to congregate and voice their concerns about issues they feel will be under represented at the G8 Summit. "I am not against the G8 meetings," Myles explained, "but behind closed doors, President Bush needs to think of the implications before he signs on the dotted line. People work each day without benefits and don't earn enough to pay rent. The job market is kaput and minimum wage is about 5-6 dollars an hour. That's ludicrous. The president couldn't live on that paycheck, but he expects us to."

Naomi Archer, an organizer with the Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign, said activists will converge in Georgia for a variety of reasons, but that "what is an affront to almost everyone is the fact that eight white men will be meeting in private on a lavish island behind army lines, while the rest of the six billion have to "await" their decisions about world policies."

Though the G8 is in many ways an elite club, Bush has invited leaders from Middle Eastern and African countries to the Summit. In a press conference, Condoleezza Rice said the presence of Arab leaders at the meeting will offer an "opportunity for the G8 to discuss how it can support freedom and political, economic and social progress in the Middle East, and to hear from these leaders about their efforts to pursue democracy and reform in their countries..."

Lisa Fithian, the National Co-Chair of United for Peace and Justice, a coalition of more than 750 local and national groups, said "the Arab leaders aren't going to have any influence; they can choose to participate by not coming, and they'll be given only two hours to cover nine major issues. That says it all." When asked about the possible effects anti-Iraq War leaders from Russia, France and Germany could have on conversations at the summit, Fithian said, "My hope is that they convince Bush and others to withdraw troops. There is no way to have sovereignty when you have a foreign country occupying your land."