Ongoing protests ahead of the G20 Summit has barred U.S. First Lady Melania Trump from leaving her hotel in Hamburg, Germany.
The First Lady’s spokesperson told reporters in Hamburg that police could not provide proper clearance for Trump to leave amid the protests, according to CNN. Trump was scheduled to visit a climate change center and take a river cruise with the spouses of other G20 members at the meeting, which takes place Friday and Saturday.
The First Lady tweeted about the G20 Summit protests in the early hours of Friday.
Thinking of those hurt in #Hamburg protests. Hope everyone stay safe! #G20
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) July 7, 2017
The protests first began on Thursday night in Hamburg, with an estimated 12,000 people in attendance. Anti-capitalist protestors frustrated with the world’s biggest economic powers organized the protests, dubbed “Welcome to Hell.” The Associated Press cited a slogan that read “borderless solidarity instead of nationalism: attack the G-20.”
As G20 kicks off, AP reports that Hamburg is boosting its police force with reinforcements from around the country and will have 20,000 officers on hand “to patrol the city’s streets, skies and waterways.”