HAMBURG (Sputnik) – Leaders participating in the G20 summit in Hamburg are closely following the protests which erupted on the eve of the event, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said on Friday, stressing that the aim of demonstrators was to influence the outcomes of the summit.
"We listen attentively to them because people are trying to influence the results of the summit this way," Juncker told a briefing.
On Thursday, Hamburg police said that a total of 13,970 people gathered at various anti-G20 protests across Hamburg on Wednesday.
Protest marches continue as G20 leaders are holding their first meetings in Hamburg. pic.twitter.com/3X2G2od7pT
— Denis Bolotsky (@BolotskySputnik) July 7, 2017
Late on Thursday, police resorted to water cannon as 8,000 people gathered past 9 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT) in the St. Pauli football fan area and the Reeperbahn red lights district before they set out toward the G20 summit site.