- The demonstrators tried to block people from attending the summit
- They are protesting the war in Gaza and the oil industry
- The CEOs of Microsoft , Google and Salesforce are some of the high-profile guests at the summit on Wednesday
Hundreds of anti-oil, pro-Palestine protesters clashed with riot police outside the APEC summit in San Francisco ahead of president Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s widely anticipated meeting on Wednesday.
A motorcade of around ten vehicles was stuck in front of a human barricade as police officers in riot gear tried to control the crowd of demonstrators on Fifth Street near Mission.
The demonstrators, wearing yellow vests, tried to block people from attending the summit and yelled at summit attendees who were stepping into the security zone.
‘We won’t allow genocide to be normalized,’ an organizer told the the San Francisco Standard.
The protesters chanted: ‘Biden, Biden telling lies, you don’t care if the planes dies’ and ‘shut down APEC.’
Protesters clashed with riot police as thousands of people descended into the streets of San Francisco to ‘shut down’ the APEC summit on Wednesday morning
The protesters chanted: ‘Biden, Biden telling lies, you don’t care if the planer dies’
‘We won’t allow genocide to be normalized,’ an organizer said
The protesters have been yelling at summit attendants as they head inside the event, telling them not to enter
The protesters have been yelling at summit attendants as they head inside the event, telling them not to enter.
The CEOs of Microsoft, Google and Salesforce are some of the high-profile guests at the summit today.
Meanwhile Biden and Jingping are scheduled to meet at the Filoli country estate in San Mateo county.
The two leaders, who last spoke a year ago, are hoping to stabilize U.S.-China relations after a period of tumult. Biden has said he is also prepared to confront his counterpart on difficult issues such as trade, Beijing’s burgeoning relationship with Iran and human rights concerns.
The outcome of the talks between two leaders who have known each other for decades could have far-reaching implications for an anxious world that is grappling with global economic cross currents from the pandemic, wars in the Middle East and Europe, upcoming elections in Taiwan and more.
San Francisco officials conducted a massive clean-up in the lead up to the event so world dignitaries don’t have to interact with the homeless during the APEC trade summit.
The unprecedented measures were designed to present a clean and shiny image during the summit, the city’s biggest gathering of global leaders since 1945, and prevent the sorts of street spectacles that have battered the city’s reputation.
The conference kicked off on Saturday and will run through November 17.
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