Protesters converged on the nearby town of Hendaye on the French border with Spain to protest against the economic and climate policies pursued by the world's leading industrial nations and to promote alternatives.
Protesters waved banners for causes ranging from environmentalism to anti-war, but their messages were aimed firmly at the leaders of the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Japan and Italy who are set to begin three days of talks on Saturday.
On Sunday, August 25, activists plan "disobedience" actions and the self-described radical environmentalist group "Action non-violente COP21" will defy a ban on demonstrations in Bayonne with a march carrying official portraits of French President Emmanuel Macron which it says have been taken from town halls around the country.