G-8 summit draws grab-bag of activists, causes

The Group of Eight annual meetings draw a hodgepodge of activists and causes from around the world, all in hopes of some media exposure and possibly some action by the world's richest and most powerful countries.

This year's gathering in Toyako, northern Japan, is no exception. The list of demands activists are making on summiteers is seemingly endless: ban cluster bombs, stop global warming, end poverty, outlaw war--even abolish themselves.

"No to the hypocritical G8 Summit promoting the destruction of the global environment!" blared one lengthy banner at a protest Saturday in Sapporo, about 65 miles northeast of the summit venue.

It's no wonder activists focus on the G-8.

This year's summit is being attended by 22 leaders, which the Japanese hosts say is the largest ever. The core member countries--the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia--account for nearly 60 percent of the world economy.

The world will be watching. Some 5,000 journalists have been accredited to attend, though the bulk of them will be cloistered far from the venue, in the resort town of Rusutsu, nearly 20 miles from Toyako.

The grab-bag of causes represented at the summit has expanded as the number of nonmember nations invited--such as African countries and up-and-coming economic powers like China--has increased, bringing a widening circle of concerns to the table.

The main attraction, however, remains the chance for activists to make an appeal directly to the most powerful.

"They're all people who for one reason or another are dissatisfied with the status quo," said Phil Thornhill, a global warming activist marching in Sapporo. He carried a "Wanted" sign with President Bush's face on it, above the slogan: "For Crimes Against the Planet."