Rally as police mounts massive security operation for G8 summit

(5 Jul 2008) SHOTLIST 1. Mid of protesters shouting (Japanese) "Get lost police!" 2. Mid of protesters wearing masks of G8 (Group of Eight) leaders, carrying banner, reading (English) "G8: Don't wait till it's too late" 3. Close of protester carrying placard, reading (English) "Act Now on Poverty," tilt up to protester wearing US President George W. Bush mask 4. Pan left from riot police to protesters 5. Back shot of riot police facing protesters 6. Wide of protesters running along street during rally 7. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) No name available, demonstrator, Vox pop: "We are staging this demonstration to protest against the G8 leaders whose nations are making this world poorer, making more wars and worsening climate change." 8. Wide of rally 9. Mid of protesters wearing skull masks and carrying placards with G8 leaders' faces STORYLINE More than a thousand people marched in northern Japan on Saturday to protest an upcoming summit of top industrialised countries, and police briefly clashed with marchers, detaining four people. The protest rally gathered at a park in central Sapporo to demand that the Group of Eight nations take urgent action to stop global warming, grant indigenous people greater rights, and combat world poverty and discrimination. Public broadcaster NHK estimated the crowd at 2,500, but police could not confirm that. Demonstrators also criticised globalisation, which they blamed for deepening poverty in marginalised regions, fuelling the world's dependence on fossil fuels and accelerating rising temperatures. Protesters were seen wearing masks resembling G8 leaders, and waving banners with slogans such as "G8: Don't wait till it's too late." The rally then moved onto the streets of Sapporo, where riot police lined the route, squeezing marchers into one lane. Some protesters shouted "Get lost police!" and there were reports that police briefly clashed with demonstrators, detaining four people. No injuries were reported. Speaking to AP Television, one demonstrator said, "we are staging this demonstration to protest against the G8 leaders whose nations are making this world poorer, making more wars and worsening climate change." The G-8 leaders - from the United States, Japan, Russia, France, Britain, Canada, Italy and Germany - begin a three-day summit on Monday in a hot springs resort in Hokkaido, Japan's northern island. Host Japan had put global warming at the top of the summit's agenda, but the dilemma of how to respond to accelerating inflation, slowing global economic growth coupled with soaring oil and food prices are likely to dominate the talks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...