The Group of 20 economic summit began Friday in this northern German port city after clashes between protesters and police that could send ripples through the two days of meetings. German security forces used water cannons and pepper spray on Thursday to clear an anti-capitalist march in which a group with anarchist sympathies had a prominent presence. Merkel, who is chairing the summit, said she will highlight climate, free trade and the shared obligation to succor refugees. “The main issue is that the summit is again, after Brisbane, in a democracy,” said Wolfgang Schmidt, a Hamburg politician involved in summit preparations. An estimated 100,000 protesters were expected to converge on the old merchant city during the summit.

Source: Washington Post July 07, 2017 05:25 UTC