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Protesters march on G8 venue in Northern Ireland

17 June 2013 23:43 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Around 1,000 activists marched towards the venue of a Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland on Monday to demand world leaders end global hunger, boost gay rights and ban fracking, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Environmentalists, socialists and rights activists gathered in the small market town of Enniskillen before setting off to the golf resort 10 km (7 miles) away that is hosting the leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama.

Organizers said they would walk to the 7 km metal fence surrounding the venue before turning back, adding that they were not expecting violence.

Over 7,000 police were on duty during the G8, in one of the largest security operations ever seen in Northern Ireland, but relatively few were visible at the march, which began with a carnival atmosphere.

Marchers came overwhelmingly from Ireland, north or south. Organizers said many protesters from abroad had been put off by the location of the summit and the reputation of Northern Irish police as among the most militarized in Europe.