'Welcome to Hell': Police, Protesters Clash in Germany Ahead of G-20 Summit
Prior to the clash, police using loudspeakers were calling on demonstrators to remove masks
By David Rising ••
Protesters and police clashed Thursday outside the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
German police clashed with violent protesters Thursday in Hamburg a day ahead of the Group of 20 summit, using water cannons, pepper spray and batons to disperse marchers after some attacked them with bottles and other objects.
The skirmishes came hours before the two-day gathering of the world's top economic powers gets under way Friday morning in Germany's second-biggest city.
Its host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said she hoped the leaders would be able to find "compromises and answers" on a wide range of issues — although the prospects of finding common ground on climate change and trade were uncertain.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A man surveys the scene inside a looted Budnikowsky pharmacy following a second night of violent protest on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Staff work on the clear-up process at a looted Rewe City convenience store following a second night of violent protest on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A smashed car windscreen is seen following a second night of violent protest on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A fire burns in the middle of town during an anti-G20 protest on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Authorities are braced for large-scale and disruptive protests as Leaders of the Group of 20 group of nations arrive in Hamburg for the July 7-8 summit.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A protester lights a flare during an anti-G20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Authorities are braced for large-scale and disruptive protests as Leaders of the Group of 20 group of nations arrive in Hamburg for the July 7-8 summit.
Matthias Schrader/AP
Police officers carry off a demonstrator who blocked a street on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 7, 2017. The leaders of the Group of 20 meet July 7 and 8.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Protesters gather to participate in an anti-G20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Fire crews extinguish a burning car in the street during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Police use water cannons as protesters gather to participate in an anti G-20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Protesters participate in a peaceful anti-G20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
Police use water cannons against demonstrators at a Hamburg harbor protesting against the G-20 summit on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G-20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Protesters participate in a peaceful anti-G20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Protesters participate in a peaceful anti-G20 march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A woman walks past a vandalized bank following the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Authorities are braced for large-scale and disruptive protests as G-20 national leaders arrive in Hamburg for the July 7-8 G-20 summit.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Fake US currency cascades from an apartment window onto riot police below during the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest march on July 7, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Protesters erect burning barricades in front of the Rote Flora left-wing centre after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Riot police gather after protesters erected burning barricades in front of the Rote Flora left-wing centre after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Riot police walk down a road after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Riot police gather after protesters erected burning barricades in front of the Rote Flora left-wing centre after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
A police water cannon extinguishes a burning barricade in front of the Rote Flora left-wing centre after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A police riot team work through the crowds during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Matthias Schrader/AP
Police officers help an injured officer during skirmishes with demonstrators on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 7, 2017.
Matthias Schrader/AP
Police chase demonstrators blocking a road on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 7, 2017.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Police forces clash with protesters during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
People stand in front of police vehicles during the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arrived in Hamburg for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Markus Schreiber/AP
Thousands of people attend a protest against the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Thursday, July 6, 2017. The leaders of the group of 20 meet July 7 and 8.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Police forces clash with protesters during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Police forces clash with protesters during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Police forces clash with protesters during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Demonstrators protest during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Police forces clash with protesters during a march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts and heavy protests are expected tonight at the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images
Riot police climb a fence to chase people after the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Protestors are sprayed by police water cannons during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Riot police walk down a road during the "Welcome to Hell" protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts tonight at the "Welcome to Hell" anti-G20 protest.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Protestors are sprayed by police water cannons during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A police water cannon is seen during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Protestors are sprayed by police water cannons during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
A woman gestures during the 'Welcome to Hell' anti-G20 protest march on July 6, 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. Leaders of the G20 group of nations are arriving in Hamburg today for the July 7-8 economic summit and authorities are bracing for large-scale and disruptive protest efforts.
Thursday evening's protest as the G-20 leaders arrived in Hamburg was titled "G-20: Welcome to Hell," and a standoff between hardcore anti-capitalist protesters and police developed before the march itself really got going.
Police said they repeatedly asked some demonstrators to remove their masks, to no avail. They then decided to separate the group from the rest of the march, which they estimated at 12,000 people in total.
Black-hooded protesters attacked a police vehicle with bottles and bricks, breaking its window.
Organizers quickly called an end to the march after the violence broke out, police said. Skirmishes continued, with police advancing down the street with two water cannons while being pelted with bottles by a group of black-clad people.
A nearby building was plastered with the slogan "Borderless solidarity instead of nationalism: attack the G-20." A small group on the roof set off fireworks. Police said windows at a furniture store and a bank were damaged. There was no immediate word on a number of arrests or injuries.
Many other groups are calling for peaceful protests and are pushing the G-20 leaders for action to fight climate change and address economic disparities in the world. Some are even calling for the dissolution of the G-20 itself so the United Nations becomes the platform for such discussions.
In all, more than 100,000 protesters are expected in Hamburg for the summit, with some 8,000 considered part of Europe's violent left-wing scene, according to police.
The northern port city has boosted its police with reinforcements from around the country and has 20,000 officers on hand to patrol Hamburg's streets, skies and waterways.
Merkel is also hoping to keep things under control inside the city congress center where the summit is being held. With guests including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the search for compromises is expected to be challenging.
Merkel said leaders would address regulating financial markets, fighting terrorism and pandemics and combatting climate change, among other issues. She said "free, rule-based and fair trade" will be an important issue.
"You can imagine that there will be discussions that will not be easy," she said. "Globalization can be a win-win situation. It must not always be that there are winners and losers."
In the wake of Trump's recent decision to pull out of the Paris deal fighting climate change, the battle against global warming promises to feature prominently in discussions at the summit.
Merkel has rejected calls from some to push for a strong "G-19" statement — without the U.S. — on climate change. That is something that Zhu Guangyao, a Chinese deputy finance minister, told reporters Thursday that Beijing also did not support.
"The policies produced by the G-20 should be by the consensus of all member states," he said. "No one should be excluded."
Still, he added, "China will firmly promote its policies taking more measures against climate change."
