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Global leaders of the G8 are set to begin their two-day meetings on Monday in Belfast, but protesters are already demonstrating in force against the "corrupt capitalist system" made worse by neoliberal policies enforced by the world leaders involved in the summit.

Global leaders of the G8 are set to begin their two-day meetings on Monday in Belfast, but protesters are already demonstrating in force against the "corrupt capitalist system" made worse by neoliberal policies enforced by the world leaders involved in the summit.
Thousands took the streets of Belfast Saturday in what turned out to be a peaceful march with no arrests, despite a large police presence.
The rally was organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
"We know that we are facing the consequences of a corrupt capitalist system bereft of moral standards," ICTU chairperson Pamela Dooley Dooley told a large rally.
Dooley told the crowd: "It is a system which puts profit before people and always will. It is a system for the few and not for the many."
James Orr of Friends of the Earth told the crowd it is "time to put the long term future of the planet first - and develop a clean energy future we can all afford".
He added: "G8 nations should be taking the lead in tackling climate change, instead of driving forward policies that keep their economies hooked on dirty, damaging and increasingly costly fossil fuels."
"People across the UK, including Northern Ireland, are rightly concerned about the threat fracking poses to their communities, local environment and the global climate."
"Corporations are running the world, not the people," said Tom Wright, 55, a Belfast protester carrying a meter-tall model of an oil derrick painted with the slogan "No Fracking Way!" The G8, he said, represented "pure and total evil."
Further protests are expected in the coming days.
_______________________
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Global leaders of the G8 are set to begin their two-day meetings on Monday in Belfast, but protesters are already demonstrating in force against the "corrupt capitalist system" made worse by neoliberal policies enforced by the world leaders involved in the summit.
Thousands took the streets of Belfast Saturday in what turned out to be a peaceful march with no arrests, despite a large police presence.
The rally was organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
"We know that we are facing the consequences of a corrupt capitalist system bereft of moral standards," ICTU chairperson Pamela Dooley Dooley told a large rally.
Dooley told the crowd: "It is a system which puts profit before people and always will. It is a system for the few and not for the many."
James Orr of Friends of the Earth told the crowd it is "time to put the long term future of the planet first - and develop a clean energy future we can all afford".
He added: "G8 nations should be taking the lead in tackling climate change, instead of driving forward policies that keep their economies hooked on dirty, damaging and increasingly costly fossil fuels."
"People across the UK, including Northern Ireland, are rightly concerned about the threat fracking poses to their communities, local environment and the global climate."
"Corporations are running the world, not the people," said Tom Wright, 55, a Belfast protester carrying a meter-tall model of an oil derrick painted with the slogan "No Fracking Way!" The G8, he said, represented "pure and total evil."
Further protests are expected in the coming days.
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Global leaders of the G8 are set to begin their two-day meetings on Monday in Belfast, but protesters are already demonstrating in force against the "corrupt capitalist system" made worse by neoliberal policies enforced by the world leaders involved in the summit.
Thousands took the streets of Belfast Saturday in what turned out to be a peaceful march with no arrests, despite a large police presence.
The rally was organized by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
"We know that we are facing the consequences of a corrupt capitalist system bereft of moral standards," ICTU chairperson Pamela Dooley Dooley told a large rally.
Dooley told the crowd: "It is a system which puts profit before people and always will. It is a system for the few and not for the many."
James Orr of Friends of the Earth told the crowd it is "time to put the long term future of the planet first - and develop a clean energy future we can all afford".
He added: "G8 nations should be taking the lead in tackling climate change, instead of driving forward policies that keep their economies hooked on dirty, damaging and increasingly costly fossil fuels."
"People across the UK, including Northern Ireland, are rightly concerned about the threat fracking poses to their communities, local environment and the global climate."
"Corporations are running the world, not the people," said Tom Wright, 55, a Belfast protester carrying a meter-tall model of an oil derrick painted with the slogan "No Fracking Way!" The G8, he said, represented "pure and total evil."
Further protests are expected in the coming days.
_______________________