Post date: May 23, 2011 5:47:42 PM
North-west French beach town of Deauville prepares to welcome world leaders for Group of Eight summit.
DEAUVILLE, FRANCE (MAY 23, 2011) REUTERS - Security preparations were underway on Monday (May 23) as this week, Normandy's seaside resort town of Deauville gears up to host the annual Group of Eight summit, which will gather 18 heads of state and 2,500 delegation members to discuss North African unrest and other global issues.
The town will be closed to demonstrators and travel within the city will be restricted. But authorities worry that despite deploying some 12,000 police, the event could be marred by riots or attacks.
G8 summits have become lightning rods for anti-globalisation protests and since the disastrous 2001 meeting in Genoa, Italy, where a protester was shot and killed by police, all G8s have been held in remote areas that are easily sealed off."12,000 men is what has been planned overall, there will be policemen, gendarmes, soldiers, firemen, doctors of course," said French interior minister Claude Gueant as he met the policemen and gendarmes who would patrol the streets of Deauville before and during the summit.
"12,000 men that means between three and four thousand at any given moment because they work 24 hours a day."
Authorities have reason to be concerned: the Deauville G8 is the first summit since U.S. forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, France has led the West's intervention in Libya and its ban on full-face Muslim veils has triggered calls for armed retaliation.
Tight security and parts of the city cordoned off has some commuters unhappy.
"I can no longer go into Deauville, there will be restrictions and so we won't be able to move around. It's an attack on democracy," said Mr. Dahan, who lives outside Deauville.
A local taxi driver said while there were chances his business would suffer, having world leaders visiting would do his city good.
"We will not be able to run as usual, our usual clients won't be able to come in because the train station and airport will be closed," Jerome Lefranc said.
"But there are quite a few of our colleagues (taxi drivers) who won't be present. So for those who are here, it might mean more work. We can look at it like that. But I also think this is something good and positive for the city," he added.
This year, NGOs and activists are allowed to meet in Le Havre, 40 km (25 miles) away.
On Saturday (May 23), a demonstration in Le Havre turned violent with building windows smashed and daubed with graffiti by a small number of protesters, among several thousand demonstrators who marched peacefully against the upcoming G8 meeting.