Ahead of this week’s G7 summit in Biarritz, France, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, voicing anger over climate inaction, economic inequality and corporate influence. The scale of the demonstrations has prompted French authorities to request tactical support from UK police, who have shared expertise in non-lethal crowd control techniques developed during large-scale protests in London.
The British contingent, drawn from specialist public order units, has been advising French gendarmes on the use of “kettling” and phased dispersal strategies. This collaboration, according to a Home Office spokesperson, is “a routine exchange of best practice” intended to minimise injuries and maintain public safety. However, human rights groups have criticised the move, warning that these tactics have been associated with excessive force and the suppression of dissent.
At the heart of the anger is the accelerating climate crisis. A coalition of environmental organisations, including Extinction Rebellion and Friends of the Earth, has called for an immediate end to fossil fuel subsidies and a binding commitment to net-zero emissions by 2030. The demand reflects a broader frustration with the gap between political rhetoric and physical reality. Global carbon dioxide levels have reached 420 parts per million, a concentration not seen in over 3 million years. The Arctic sea ice extent in July was 30% below the 1981-2010 average. These are not abstract numbers. They represent a biosphere under stress: crop yields declining, coastal cities facing accelerated sea-level rise, and heat waves becoming routine.
The G7 hosts have acknowledged the urgency but have yet to align on concrete targets. France has proposed a “climate and biodiversity” agenda, while the United States remains resistant to emission reduction commitments. The UK, hosting next year’s COP26, has pushed for more ambition but continues to approve new oil drilling in the North Sea.
Protesters also target corporate power. Leaked documents from the summit’s business advisory group reveal that executives from major oil and agribusiness firms have been granted significant informal access to leaders. This has fuelled accusations that the G7 is a “captured institution” where the interests of fossil fuel giants trump the needs of the planet’s 7.7 billion inhabitants.
For the activists on the ground, the UK’s role is deeply ironic. British police forces have been criticised for using draconian measures against climate protesters at home, including the use of deep-body searches and preemptive arrests. Exporting these techniques to France raises questions about the globalisation of repressive tactics.
As the summit opens, leaders will face not only protesters but also a stark choice. The science is unambiguous: every fraction of a degree of warming intensifies the likelihood of irreversible tipping points. The physical reality of the world demands a transition to renewable energy at a scale that dwarfs current efforts. Whether the G7 can rise to this challenge, or whether it continues to refine the machinery of crowd control while the biosphere collapses, remains to be seen.
