In advance of the G8 (Group of 8) Summit beginning on Wednesday in Heiligendamm, Germany, thousands of protestors took to the streets in Rostock, Germany on Saturday. While the corporate media in the United States and around the world has focused on the "violent" clashes between police and several thousand "black bloc" anarchists, the marches featured protestors from a variety of different backgrounds highlighting the problems of empire and capitalism. Two separate marches under the themes "Make Capitalism History" and "Another World is Possible" united for a demonstration and rally that organizers estimated at 80,000. Police violence was widespread and focused on the entire protest, not just the militant element.

Although not mentioned in the corporate media's focus on violence, organizers of the June 2nd demonstration issued a statement explaining why they were protesting the G8:

At the beginning of June 2007, the governments of the seven most important industrialised countries and Russia will meet for the 'G8 Summit' at the Baltic seaside resort of Heiligendamm. The 'Group of 8' (G8) is an institution without legitimacy. Nevertheless, as a self-appointed informal world government, they make decisions which affect the whole of humanity. The policies of the G8 stand for a neoliberal globalisation and deregulation, economic policies oriented towards the capital returns of international financial investors and companies.

• Every five seconds, a child dies somewhere in the world from hunger. More than 800 million people are chronically malnourished. Primarily responsible are unjust world trade policies, forwarded by the rich industrialised countries within the G8 and other international institutions.
• Despite the whole-hearted promises of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005, until now only a small proportion of the debt of Southern countries has been cancelled.
• Through their promotion of liberalisation and privatisation, the G8 have not only increased poverty in the global South, but also in the industrialised countries. The worldwide plundering of raw materials and other natural resources is being accelerated.
• At the same time as the rich industrialised countries seal themselves off from refugees and migrants, those who nevertheless arrive are illegalised and exploited as cheap labourers without rights.
• The G8 states are the biggest destroyers of the climate. They are alone responsible for 43% of worldwide CO2 emissions as well as being in favour of a renaissance of nuclear energy, which we decidedly reject.
• The G8 states are responsible for 90% of worldwide weapons exports and a new era of war for raw materials. They are the leaders of a world order based on war, which leads to migration, displacement, new hate and violence in many countries.

The world shaped by the dominance of the G8 is a world of war, hunger, social divisions, environmental destruction and barriers against migrants and refugees. At our mass demonstration on 2 June 2007 in Rostock, we want to protest against this and show the alternatives. Together with millions of people around the world we say: Another World Is Possible!

• For the immediate cancellation of illegitimate debt and comprehensive debt relief for the countries of the global South!
• Against the sale of public goods and services - for equal social rights and standards worldwide!
• For a speedy and radical transfer to renewable energies! Dangerous climate change and further wars for oil and gas reserves can only be prevented through a significant rise in energy efficiency and the transfer to a sustainable economy.
• For the immediate and permanent abandonment of nuclear energy and for complete worldwide nuclear disarmament!
• For the showing of solidarity with, and the living together with equal rights, of all people - against every form of racism and fascism!
• For the overcoming of walls and borders! Against detention camps and deportation!
• For a peaceful world! End the military imposition of economic and power-political interests through the G8 states!

Globalisation in the interests of the majority of people requires a fair relationship between industrialised and developing countries, and means freedom, justice, social security, democracy and the conservation of the planet's natural resources for the next generation.

Such an alternative globalisation will not result from exclusive and insular summit meetings, but rather from below out of the global movement of people and initiatives who stand up for another, better world. This global movement will make itself heard through numerous actions and events during the G8 Summit. At the International Demonstration on 2 June 2007 in Rostock, we will make the size, strength and diversity of our colourful and broad protests visible.

Protests will continue throughout the week, with plans to blockade the summit to prevent delegates from arriving for the G8 meeting. At past G8 summits in France in 2003 and Scotland in 2005, protestors made extensive efforts to shutdown the summit.

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