The G7 gathering is taking place in France, against a backdrop of growing worries about a global economic downturn and coincides with an era of international disunity across an array of issues that have strained decades-old allegiances.
As world leaders gathered in France’s Biarritz, thousands of people took part in a demonstration in the nearby town of Hendaye.
French riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse anti-capitalism protesters in Bayonne, near the resort of Biarritz where the G7 nation allies were meeting for a three-day summit.
The protesters shouted “Everybody hates the police” and “anti, anti anti-capitalists” as the mood took a darker turn from peaceful protests in an authorized march on the French-Spanish border.
Protesters called for urgent climate action and accused world leaders of causing inequality.
Roiled by months of anti-government protests this year, France has deployed more than 13,000 police to ensure protesters get nowhere near U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders.
