20 non-political facts about the G20 summit

CAIRO – 10 July 2017: The twelfth summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) concluded on July 8 in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Prior to and in conjunction with the massive summit, Germany witnessed a wave of protests from activists against the summit.

The protesters voiced objection to a range of issues, including climate change, global wealth inequalities and the presence of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the summit. Police in Hamburg say 213 officers have been injured since Thursday and 143 people detained, according to BBC.

Presenting some numbers regarding the organization process, the cost and security measures adopted during the three-day summit:

1. 36 delegations with up to 6,500 participants attended the summit.

2. 5,000 journalists covered the event.

3. According to German Foreign Ministry, 9,000 hotel rooms in Hamburg were reserved for the participants.

4. 70 specially-chartered aircraft landed at Hamburg’s airport.

5. Officially, the country calculated the costs of hosting the summit at €190 million. The central German government and the city of Hamburg will share the burden.

6. The retail sector in Hamburg calculates the loss of sales during the summit as being €15 million.

7. 70 kilometers of electric and communication cables and 25km of fiber optic cables have been installed to secure the summit.

8. More than 20,000 police, 3,000 emergency vehicles and 11 helicopters were deployed at the beginning of the summit.

9. Police prepared for 8,000 violent left-wing extremists.

10. Police prepared an area of 11,000 square meters to hold up to 400 detainees.

11. Police were given packed lunches (bread, cheese, cold meats, fruit and a cereal bar), plus 100,000 warm meals and 600,000 soft drinks.

12. Journalists were offered meals as well. All-in-all, there was an order for 15 tons of food: 400 kg of Bratwurst, 1,000 kg of vegetables and 12,000 chocolate bars.

13. Employees were urged not to wear suits on their way to work so they don’t get attacked by extremists, who may think they are summit-participants.

14. #schlaflosinHH (sleeplessinHH) hashtag was launched on Twitter to find/offer a place to sleep for protesters. People also used the hashtag to indicate areas where tents can be put up.

15. A court decided the area for protest marches cannot be used for camping, since “sleeping in a tent is a neutral activity, and you cannot express your opinion while sleeping.”

16. The slogan of those who camp anyway is “Yes, we camp”.

17. More than 50 protest marches had been registered before the summit.

18. 140 prosecution lawyers were working 24/7.

19. President Donald Trump’s convoy included 45 cars.

20. Japan will host the G20 summit in 2019, and Saudi Arabia will host the 2020 edition.