The demonstrators numbered more than four thousand and they were treated with pepper spray by the 17000-strong police when the former tried to break through cordon. There were scuffles and at least one protester had to be carried away by paramedics. But the demonstrators were defiant playing drums, tambourines and shaking rattles, with a catchy slogan, “Brick by brick, wall by wall, stop G7 and make the system fall!” Banners read: “Fight G7 for Revolution!” A 31-year-old medical student Tom Klappert, quipped ,“It’s not acceptable that they’re throwing so much money at a conference, while so many refugees and other people are dying of hunger every day.” It reflected the mood of the demonstrators.

Protesters expressed their solidarity with the Russian President Vladimir Putin “G7 go to hell! I like Putin.”, although the summit once again took place without Russia. There was no problem in issuing an anti-Putin joint communiqué at the end of two-day summit.

'We ... stand ready to take further restrictive measures in order to increase cost on Russia should its actions so require… We recall that the duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia's complete implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty.', the communiqué said.

Nationalism-fired Russian’s mood is scripted by the Pravda –columnist who ridiculed the G-7 leaders as the global policemen fixing the world's problems, acting and stretching the long arm of their law and accused the summit of acting beyond the UN mandate. They are “a Club for the corporate elitists’ who “walk hand-in-hand with a bunch of war criminals, imperialists and the home-makers for Mafia-run corporations”

While the meeting was on, there was escalation of violence in Eastern Ukraine. The fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian soldiers broke out earlier, killing and wounding dozens and delivering a fresh blow to the cease-fire, struck by both earlier this year.

A worried Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was consoled by the US President Barrack Osama with the assurance to end the crisis on diplomatic lines and Osama warned Putin as expected.

The European leaders didn’t seem to be happy as their nightmare remained around Greece where with the ruling Syriza refusing to give in to the European Commission’s policy of financially strangulating the crisis-ridden country. There is no denying that Greece is the hottest financial issue of Europe. .The desperation of EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, was reflected in his speech before the summit had kicked off .He re-asserted that a so-called 'Grexit' was not a consideration-worthy, but said this did not mean he could 'pull a rabbit out of a hat' to prevent it. He expressed exasperation with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who dismissed the latest aid-for-reform proposal from international creditors as 'absurd'.

An intolerant Juncker rebuked Tsipras in a key parliamentary address, blaming him for foot-dragging on a promised reform plan. He even branded Syriza leader of not being 'capable' of negotiating the text. Tsipras shot back rejecting outright the EC, IMF and the European Central Bank’s list of proposed reforms , terming the bailout prescription as a “bad negotiation trick” The Greek PM’s strength lies in the schism among EC member states. Germany and France are for striking an honourable compromise.

The Greek PM will act as mandated by the 2000-word ‘common resolution’ adopted by the Syriza central committee on April 24 in Athens. The libertarian Left bloc took stock of the on-going ‘unprecedented political struggle’ that centres around the resolve to exit “from the dead-end of the memoranda; a struggle to alleviate the burden of those fighting to survive after the policies implemented during the last 5 years; to restart the economy on a path of viable and socially just development; for the termination of the vicious circle of dept and austerity: a struggle for hope, not only for Greece but for the whole of Europe. “

The central committee of Syriza has made it clear that it is for an agreed solution that takes care of Greece reeling under high rate of unemployment. “The fact that we reject all ultimata however does not mean that we are not seeking a mutually beneficial solution. All this time we have made every possible effort to remove the deadlock. The good will we have shown should not be taken as a sign of weakness or of assimilation to the dominant narratives. It was a sign of our responsibility to the Greek society as well as to the rest of the European Peoples.

We have sought after and we continue to seek for, an agreement that will lead us out of the vicious circle of debt-austerity-more debt. We have sought for, and we continue to seek, an agreement that will strengthen the cohesion of the European peoples. The enemies of the cohesion of Europe and its peoples are the fanatics of austerity, who undermine the negotiation processes, by adopting an intolerant stance, and by pushing for the financial suffocation of the Greek economy. Those who believe they can humiliate Greece, are playing with fire”.

Syriza can’t afford to budge an inch from its struggle that aims at establishment of “a radically different social and economic model, which will be based on the redistribution of wealth, the promotion of equality, solidarity, the respect of public property, the support for the common goods, the support for wage laborers, and the respect for the environment. That is why it faces fierce reaction. The power block of the oligarchs has cast away its mask of “impartiality” for some time now, and has undertaken the confrontation with the government without political mediators and without pretexts.”

Greek Prime Minister Tsipras carries out the mandate firmly handed down by the Syriza CC which , wants no further cuts in pensions and salaries and defends debt restructuring and a strong package for public investments, especially in infrastructure and new technologies. The G-7 leaders had no clue about any solution to the debt crisis of Greece and it has been left to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Central Bank to take the decision after consultations with the International Monetary Fund.

The G-7 leaders were aware of the feelings of the Greece people against the imposed austerity programme as also its possible impact on other countries in Europe mainly Spain, Portugal and Italy. Huge demonstrations were held also in Germany in support of the stand taken by the Greece Prime Minister against the bailout package. That way, the G-7 summit this year only increased the worries of the rich club. The sanctions have not helped in browbeating Russia rather President Putin is getting support from a large number of emerging economies. The Syrian situation is not under control as the G-7 wants and now, led by Greece, many of the poorer European economies may challenge the IMF-ECB sponsored prescription for their economic woes. For the G-7, this is the moment of truth. (IPA Service)