Protesters gathered in seven German cities today to oppose transatlantic trade agreements between the European Union and the United Stateds and Canada.
More than 320,000 people turned out, the organisers said. In Munich, thousands met on the central Odeonsplatz square and adjoining Ludwigsstrasse in heavy rain as the annual Oktoberfest opened just a few kilometres away.
"There is no bad weather, there are only bad trade agreements," Karl Baer of the Munich Environmental Institute said in opening remarks before a crowd wielding signs and flags of organisations including the Green party, labour unions, local farmer groups and non-governmental organisations such as Attac and Greenpeace.
Protesters argue that the trade agreements would favour industrialised agricultural processes over craft-based food production that's not genetically engineered. They say the deals would cost thousands of jobs and lead to lower standards in employment and food safety.
EU trade ministers are preparing to meet in Bratislava, Slovakia, on September 23. EU government officials such as France's Minister of Foreign Trade Matthias Fekl and German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel have talked down the prospects for a consensus on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. Their scepticism reflects mounting concern across Europe and in the US over the impact of free-trade agreements.