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ST IVES, England — This year’s Group of Seven summit is being held in a stunning but stunningly hard-to-reach part of England, at a moment when there is talk in Britain about a possible third wave of the coronavirus, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. But that hasn’t stopped protesters from trying to command the attention of some of the wealthiest countries on the planet.
The leaders of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan and the European Union are meeting for a three-day summit in towns dotted through Cornwall, a top holiday destination for Brits.
G-7 and other similar summits have long been a focus for protesters. But this is the first time organizers have planned gatherings during a pandemic. Resist G7, a coalition group, is encouraging its supporters to take lateral flow tests, follow social distancing rules and wear face masks. Organizers are also encouraging supporters to ignore the police’s recommended protest sites, which are not in the towns the leaders are staying or meeting in.
For many gathering in the streets and on the beach, a top concern is climate. Demonstrators say they want to help influence priorities ahead of the COP26 summit this fall in Glasgow.
On Friday, Extinction Rebellion, a climate activist group, plans to march through St. Ives, a seaside town where the leaders are staying, and “sound the alarm for climate justice,” with horns, drums, rattles and a samba band.
“All eyes are on the U.K., and we want to highlight the responsibility that world leaders have this year to make the radical change that’s needed,” said Alanna Byrne, a spokeswoman for the group. She said that while the United Kingdom is talking a good game on climate, what’s missing is action to back up the rhetoric.
“It’s greenwashing — they are adopting the language of climate change, but in reality, it’s just words, no action. They are still funding fossil-fuel projects and devastating biodiversity in the U.K. in a massive way,” she said.
President Biden has heard similar complaints from activists in the United States who fear he is backing away from more ambitious climate goals. Former vice president Al Gore called Biden to voice his concern last month.
[Gore pressed Biden to stick with climate plans as liberals fear White House is softening its agenda]
At the G-7, many protesters pointed out that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has conveyed inconsistent messages on the environment this week.
In a tweet sent on the day of his arrival in Cornwall, Johnson wrote: “I’ll be asking my fellow leaders to rise to the challenge of beating the pandemic and building back better, fairer and greener.”
The image posted with tweet showed the prime minister stepping out of a jet plane.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1402659741738885120"></a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>There are several protest events planned over the next few days, with organizers hoping to highlight a range of issues, including a piece of legislation going through Parliament that its critics say will limit the abilities of these very protesters. It’s prompted protests across the nation dubbed “kill the bill.”
While they will inevitably be colorful, the protests planned over the next three days are expected to be far smaller than those that met the last U.S. president. When Donald Trump came for an official state visit two years ago, tens of thousands of protesters spilled onto the streets of London. Some flew a giant diaper-clad “Trump Baby” balloon high above Parliament Square.
[Meet the brains behind the ‘Trump Baby’ balloon]
There are visually arresting props this year, too.
One of the most striking is a sculpture of the G-7 leaders that’s modeled on Mount Rushmore. Dubbed “Mount Recyclemore,” the imposing artwork hopes to showcase the damage from disposing of electronics. The creators of the installation say the G-7 nations contribute almost 15.9 million tons of e-waste a year, with the United States the worst offender.
Jon Rowley
EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Visitors view the “Mount Recyclemore” sculpture depicting G-7 leaders in the town of St. Ives, England.
Joe Rush, a sculptor who created the artwork, told the BBC that it was built across the water from the summit location in hopes that the leaders would see it when flying in. “We have this looking at them and hopefully we’re going to prick their conscience and make them realize they’re all together in this waste business,” he said.
“The key message is ‘talk to each other’ and let’s sort this mess out,” he said.
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At the G-7 in Cornwall, protesting with signs, samba and electronic trash - The Washington Post
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