Police and protesters clash ahead of the G20
DONALD TRUMP yesterday delivered a major speech in Poland declaring that “the West will never be broken” and vowing to win the battle against extremism.
Mr Trump told crowds in Krasinski Square, Warsaw: “Our people will thrive and our civilisation will triumph.”
He offered praise for his hosts’ resilience in the face of historic threats from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, declaring: “Let us all fight like Poles.”
He used the speech to make the case for the US and its allies to embrace the spirit of national pride that helped sustain the Polish people.
He repeatedly drew contrasts with the beliefs of extremists and made the case for the necessity of his travel ban, which restricts immigration from some terror-impacted countries.
He had started his day at the Royal Castle, welcomed by Polish President Andrzej Duda with a vigorous handshake in front of a white marble bust of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland.
After Poland he moved on to Germany for today’s G20 economic summit, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Yesterday the US president delivered a speech calling for Russia to stop fomenting unrest around the world – but pointedly stopped short of condemning Moscow for meddling in the US election.
Mr Trump vowed to confront “new forms of aggression” targeting the West.
Buoyed by an electrified crowd in Poland chanting his name, Mr Trump sought to show he was not overlooking Russian actions that have caused global consternation, especially from nearby nations in eastern and central Europe.
He warned that Western interests were being tested by “propaganda, financial crimes and cyber warfare”, forcing Nato to adapt.
“We urge Russia to cease its destabilising activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran, and to join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself,” he said in a speech in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square.
It was a critique the president did not appear to extend to Russia’s actions last year during the presidential campaign.
In a news conference before his speech, Mr Trump questioned the veracity of American intelligence about foreign meddling in the US election, arguing that Russia was not the only country that may have interfered.
“Nobody really knows for sure,” the president said.
As US investigations into Russia’s meddling forge ahead, he is under intense scrutiny for how he handles his first face-to-face session with Mr Putin.
US intelligence officials say the unpredictable Russia leader ordered interference into the 2016 election that took Mr Trump to the White House.
The pair plan to sit down on Friday in Hamburg, Germany, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Loath to cast a shadow on his election victory, Mr Trump has avoided firmly blaming Moscow for campaign hacking in the past, and on Thursday, he was similarly elusive. He argued variously that it could have been Russia, probably was Russia and indeed was Russia, while insisting it could have been other countries too, adding: “I won’t be specific.”
The president sought to redirect scrutiny towards his predecessor, Barack Obama, accusing him of allowing Moscow to meddle on his watch. Though the Obama administration warned Russia publicly and privately before Election Day to stop interfering, questions have since been raised about whether he acted firmly enough to stop the threat.
“They say he choked. Well, I don’t think he choked,” Mr Trump said. “I think he thought Hillary Clinton was going to win the election, and he said, ‘Let’s not do anything about it’.”
Using information collected by the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency, the US national intelligence director last year concluded that Moscow was behind the hack of Democratic Party email systems and attempted to influence the 2016 election. GERMAN POLICE clashed with protesters in Hamburg ahead of today’s G20 summit, using water cannons, pepper spray and batons to disperse marchers after some attacked them with bottles and other objects.
The skirmishes came hours before the two-day gathering of the world’s top economic powers gets under way this morning in Germany’s second-biggest city.
Its host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said she hoped the leaders would be able to find “compromises and answers” on a wide range of issues – although the prospects of finding common ground on climate change and trade were uncertain.
Thursday evening’s protest as the G20 leaders arrived in Hamburg was titled “G20: Welcome to Hell”, and a stand-off between anti-capitalist protesters and police developed before the march itself really got going.
Police said they repeatedly asked some demonstrators to remove their masks, to no avail. They then decided to separate the group from the rest of the march, which they estimated at 12,000 people in total.
Black-hooded protesters attacked a police vehicle with bottles and bricks, breaking its window. Organisers quickly called an end to the march after the violence broke out, police said. Skirmishes continued, with police advancing down the street with two water cannons while being pelted with bottles.
A nearby building was plastered with the slogan “Borderless solidarity instead of nationalism: attack the G20”. A small group on the roof set off fireworks. Police said windows at a furniture store and a bank were damaged. There was no immediate word on a number of arrests or injuries.
Many other groups are calling for peaceful protests and are pushing the G20 leaders for action to fight climate change and address economic disparities in the world.