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Thirty five thousand people marched in London on Saturday in advance of this week’s G20 summit. President Barack Obama heads to the British capital for the meeting, his first trip to Europe as President. Obama is expected to make the case to the Group of 20 countries that US capitalism is sound, even though US and British banks are seen as the most responsible for the world economic crisis. A leaked draft of the G20 communique has revealed that both countries expect nations like China to loan the IMF money to help struggling countries, even though China exercised economic caution. Meanwhile, a broad array of labor, environmental, and human rights activist groups are demanding the G20 countries “Put People First.” Their rallying cry of “Jobs, Justice, Climate,” encapsulates a collective desire for economic, political, and environmental justice in the face of the global recession. In addition to the weekend demonstration, there are dozens of activities in London planned leading up to the April 2nd G20 meeting. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been invited to lead a delegation of developing nation representatives to an alternative summit.

GUESTS: Arun Gupta, editor of The Indypendent newspaper in New York City, Ruth Tanner, Campaigns and Policy Director at War on Want

For more information, visit: www.altg20.org.uk, www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk, www.indypendent.org, and www.waronwant.org.