Protesters gather for Canada summit

There has, as yet, been none of the violence that marred previous meetings

Thousands of anti-globalisation protesters descended on the Canadian city of Calgary on Sunday to stage a demonstration ahead of the Group of Eight (G8) summit scheduled to open on Wednesday.

The demonstrators, estimated by organisers to number 7,000, banged drums and chanted slogans, but there was no repeat of the violence that has marred similar meetings over recent years.

A large police contingent shadowed the protesters, who accuse leaders of industrialised nations of making ''undemocratic'' decisions that ignore the rights of ordinary people, particularly in the Third World.

Festive affair

The G8 leaders will meet on Wednesday and Thursday at the mountain resort of Kananaskis, about a 90-minute drive west of Calgary.

(The leaders) are making decisions that are affecting our everyday lives without us being involved in any sort of consultative process

Protester Larry White

The global economy, the war on terrorism and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien's plans to help Africa will be high on the agenda.

The Sunday rally was a largely festive affair, as labour activists, environmentalists and family groups chanted slogans and accompanied a makeshift "evil corporate boat of globalisation", complete with skull and crossbones.

Demonstrator Larry White, from Toronto, said: ''(The leaders) are making decisions that are affecting our everyday lives without us being involved in any sort of consultative process.''

Fears of violence

The rally contrasted with similar protests at recent meetings, including last year's G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, where a demonstrator died in clashes with police.

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Fears of violence have prompted the Canadian authorities to set up their biggest security operation to protect the G8 leaders who are gathering for the first time since the 11 September attacks.

To get to the Delta Lodge venue at Kananaskis, visitors must pass as many as 13 checkpoints.

One of Sunday's protesters vowed to put on a hood on Wednesday and break windows at Talisman Energy, one of the multinationals.

''Today, things are calm because I haven't gotten started and because I don't feel like being arrested,'' he said.