G20 protesters to march in London
March 29, 2009 00:00:00
Thousands of people are expected to march through London later to demand action on poverty, climate change and jobs ahead of next week's G20 summit, reports BBC.
The Put People First alliance of 150 charities and unions will march from Embankment to Hyde Park for a rally. Speakers will call on G20 leaders to pursue a new kind of global justice.
A series of protests are planned around the London summit and police say the level of planned activity is creating an "unprecedented challenge".
A huge security operation is being launched before and during the G20, at which world leaders will discuss the global financial crisis among other issues.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he is optimistic that a consensus can be reached on how to tackle the problem but other leaders are less convinced.
In an interview with Saturday's Financial Times, German Chancellor Angela Merkel dampened expectations of a significant breakthrough.
She said one meeting would not be enough to solve the economic crisis and finish building a new structure for global markets.
Ahead of the summit, there are fears that banks and other financial institutions could be the focus for violent protests.
It follows an attack by vandals on the Edinburgh home and car of former Royal Bank of Scotland boss Sir Fred Goodwin on Wednesday.
World leaders will meet next week in London to discuss measures to tackle the downturn. See our in-depth guide to the G20 summit.
The G20 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the US and the EU.