Thousands of protesters turned out to rally at the site of the G8 summit in Scotland Wednesday after an earlier court order banning the demonstrations was reversed.
The protesters were led by bagpiper in traditional Scottish costume as they marched through the streets of the village of Auchterarder to the fence of the exclusive Gleneagles resort where the meeting of the leaders of the G8 nations was taking place. They banged drums, blew whistles and chanted 'Power to the People.' Police estimated the crowd at between 3,000 and 3,500 people.
Earlier, local police banned marchers after some protesters threw rocks and broke car windows. Others threatened to block the roads leading to the summit.
Protesters were angered by the ban which was later reversed.
'When, exactly, did this become a police state?' said George Galloway, a member of the House of Commons to reporters. 'When did the police get ... the power to call off demonstrations here in this free country of ours?'
Once they reached the gates of Gleneagles, the protesters chanted 'Blood on your hands!' in reference to either the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq or the ongoing poverty in Africa.
'Eight people should not have the right to control everything,' Michael Pacitti, 19, from the Scottish city of Aberdeen told the Associated Press. 'There's not enough democracy when it's eight people making decisions for everybody.'
Bob Geldof, the organizer of Saturday's Live 8 concerts led a group of 1,000 protesters in a dozen double-decker buses. Geldof was careful to differentiate between his group and the violent protesters elsewhere.
'These are our people. You must not conflate the two. Some come in peace and dignity and respect, some just come to make trouble. There is no similarity between them,' he said.
