Between June 1st and 3rd, the world’s seven richest countries plus Russia held their annual summit in the French town of Evian, close to the Swiss border. This group, known as the G-8, was created in 1975 to informally discuss global financial and economic issues. A prime example of corporate-led globalization at work, the G-8 policies generally favor the interests of multinational corporations and offer little forum for the interests of ordinary people. As the G-8 members are the major shareholders in the IMF and World Bank, the recommendations made during the summits are put into practice by these highly secretive lending institutions.

Many critics believe these neo-liberal policies accelerate the concentration of wealth, attack workers' rights, lower living standards for the vast majority of the population, attack cultural diversity, and harm the environment. Though the G-8 claims to combat world poverty, it has never offered to cancel the debt of poor countries, preferring ‘debt relief’, which has proven insufficient and driven countries such as Argentina into bankruptcy.

The G-8 summits have been actively opposed since 1989 by a loose coalition of NGO's, unions, religious groups, political parties and activist groups world-wide, though mainstream media outlets have failed to cover either the level of protest or the core issues. At the 2001 meeting in Italy, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Genoa after police killed 23 year old Carlo Guiliani, and planted weapons on peaceful protesters after violently raiding the Indymedia offices at the Genoa Social Forum.

Thursday May 29th - 1st day of protests in Lausanne. photos 1 2 - Friday May 30th - Protests start in Geneva with Critical Mass, photos 1 2 then a march to WTO offices photos 1 2 3 and the No Borders Demo. photos 1 2 3 4 - Sunday June 1st: After much preparation, activists were out on the streets hours before the summit began in Evian. photos While they blockaded the roads into Evian, story photos 1 2 police raided the Indymedia convergence center 12 miles away in Geneva. photos story 1 2 Later in the day, two British activists were serious injured by police. One, an Indymedia volunteer, needed a two hour long operation to repair leg injuries caused by a concussion grenade. story, photos, his photos The other fell 60 feet from a road bridge after his rope was cut during an attempted blockade. story 1 2 photos - June 1st & 2nd: Riots in Geneva photos & story

Full Coverage: in English: nadir.org - Indymedia UK - Indymedia G8 Site in Spanish: lahaine.org - IMC Chile - IMC Argentina - IMC Uruguay

Links: The World Social Forum offers sound alternatives to capitalism.

New Economics Foundation - Simple International Debt and Finance Analysis - Report: Did the G8 Drop the Debt? - The G8, The Global Fund and Disease Prevention - Upcoming Anti-Capitalist Events Abolish the Bank - Indymedia - Protest net