G7 summit concludes in Japan amid stronger protests

New York: As more protesters took to the streets, G7 nations wrapped up their three-day gathering in Hiroshima, vowing to escalate sanctions against Russia amid the Ukraine crisis. Following days of protests, hundreds of demonstrators from home and abroad last week rallied against the G7 leaders’ communique and other documents adopted by the summit in Hiroshima, a city once devastated by US atomic bombing during World War II, Xinhua news agency reported.

Chanting slogans such as “No to War” and “Smash the G7 Hiroshima Summit,” they rallied along the main streets in Hiroshima, crowded by hundreds of riot police officers. They ran into physical conflict with the police in a downtown high street, where one of the protesters was arrested, but continued with the rally minutes later.

Several protesters, in their public speeches during last week’s protest, accused the G7 Hiroshima Summit of being a war-themed conference sponsored by the US-promoted hegemonism in its essence, and that the Japanese government is ruthlessly trampling on the views of atomic bombing victims and local residents by holding such a meeting in Hiroshima.

While vowing to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” in the final joint statement, the G7 nations, with the US taking the lead, announced specific measures to sanction Russia in a standalone statement on Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $375 million after Biden and Zelensky met on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The G7 comprises the US, Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Canada and Japan.

Leaders from South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Comoros, Cook Islands and some international organizations were invited to the three-day gathering.

Image courtesy of RiaNovosti

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