Rome, Oct. 301 (BNA) Thousands of people marched in Rome on Saturday during the leaders’ summit of the Group of Twenty major economies, asking them to act against climate change and ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Climate activists led the march, carrying colorful placards, playing drums and dancing as they called on world leaders to save the planet.
“We are organizing this protest for environmental and social issues and against the G20, which is continuing unabated on a path that almost led us to social and environmental failure,” said protester Eduardo Mintrasti.
Marching alongside students and groups of workers into a city on high alert, up to 6,000 police and about 500 soldiers were deployed to maintain order. Reuters reported that metro stations were closed and bus lanes diverted due to the G20 summit.
Italian police are particularly concerned about the unrest after recent protests over the country’s mandatory health permit for workers turned violent when neo-fascist activists attacked the headquarters of the CGIL labor union in Rome.
At a Saturday rally, protesters raised a large banner that read “Stop Patents, Vaccines A Universal Right” to parade on the banks of the Tiber River.
In the morning, the G20 leaders began two days of talks in which they were due to acknowledge the existential threat of climate change, but failed to arrive at radical new commitments to tame global warming.
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“There is an alternative to a development model that depends on the meeting of 20 of the most important heads of state in the world in a room and a decision on the fate of the world,” said protester Luca Ianilo.
There was a separate smaller protest against the Italian government, a few kilometers away.
Protesters were kept away from the summit center, located in a suburb built by 20th century fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
FKN