Bristol protestors off to G20

Coachloads of protesters will travel from Bristol to march through London on Wednesday before the start of the G20 summit when world leaders meet to discuss the global downturn.

A number of different groups and networks are planning to protest including the Stop the War Coalition, CND, climate change activists, trade unionists, religious groups and anarchists.

Thousands of people are expected to join a climate change "flashcamp" in the Square Mile which is being co-ordinated by text message.

The Camp for Climate Action will be promoting the idea that the failed economic system has not just created the financial crisis but is responsible for climate change.

Organisers argue that a radically different economy is needed, not one based on endless growth, and that governments will not be able to bail out the climate in the way that banks have been saved.

A demonstration with a giant "iceberg" will be held from 12.30 pm to 7.30 pm outside the Excel Centre in London to highlight the fact that polar ice is melting much faster then scientists thought.

An Alternative London Summit has also been organised on the day by the University and Colleges Lecturers' Union . It be held at the Docklands campus of the University of East London which is near the Excel centre where the official summit opens on Thursday.

Speakers include former Bristol MP Tony Benn, film maker Ken Loach, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and novelist and political activist Tariq Ali.

A new organisation called G20 Meltdown will hold a party outside the Bank of England.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will lead themed processions to the bank starting at 11 am.

There will be a red horse against war, a green horse against climate chaos, a silver horse against financial crimes, and a black horse against land enclosures and borders.

A student network called People & Planet will be campaigning to end world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment.

The Stop the War Coalition, focused on ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament are holding a rally at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, at 2pm tomorrow as well as a protest at the Excel Centre on Thursday.

More than 35,000 people - including many from Bristol - are estimated to have taken part in a London march organised on Saturday by a coalition of environmental, religious and trade union groups called Put People First.

They want the UK government and other countries to start building an economy that puts people and the planet first.

One activist who attended, writing on the Bristol Indymedia website, said: "I've started to question these marches I go on, normalised as they are for Londoners, protesters and police alike.

"Structured around a standardised route, only tourists bat an eyelid now. How many marches and how many people are necessary for change to occur. And that change is probably the major problem.

"With so many disparate groups of anarchists, socialists, unionists and greens appearing side-by-side, it can be difficult to work out exactly what form these changes must take.

" There is passion in the ranks, there is energy, but is there collective focus? Can there be?

"The lack of coherence of the groups will, inevitably lead to splintering and frustration.

"There will undoubtedly be violence in what has already been dubbed the coming Summer of Rage, probably starting at the further G20 protests this week. We can all feel it in the air."

Avon and Somerset police said they would be sending a "small contingent" of officers to help out the Metropolitan force in policing the protests.

The G20 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the US and the EU.