Hundreds protest in Italy against G7 meeting on Syria

Hundreds of protesters have staged a rally against a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers underway in the city of Lucca, condemning the group’s stance on the crisis-hit Syria.

The demonstrators marched throughout Lucca on Monday, chanting slogans and carrying banners against the presence of G7 foreign ministers in the city.

They also decried a recent US missile attack against a Syrian army base in Homs Province, saying G7 governments are not after helping the violence-stricken people of Syria; rather, they are pursuing their own interests in the resource-rich Middle East region.

The Syrian issue tops the agenda of the two-day summit in Italy.

On April 7, the US launched the strike on the Syrian airfield in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib Province. Damascus has rejected any role in the purported gas attack.

“The G7 are the terrorists, and those who launched 59 missiles on Syria a few days ago are terrorists. Syrians have been suffering because of the war they caused and their policies,” one of the demonstrators said.

Another protester said, “The foreign ministers have long been active, because the region has resources, and oil and natural gas pipelines underground, and also because there are vested economic interests. They want to increase their own capital rather than help people around the world.”

Clashes also erupted between the protesters and police in the city’s northern part.

The meeting brings together foreign ministers from the G7 members — Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Italy, Japan and the US -- as well as the European Union.

In a special meeting early on Tuesday, the ministers met with their counterparts from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar to discuss Syria. Many of those countries are widely viewed as supporters of anti-Damascus militant groups.

SS