German protesters hit the streets to oppose transatlantic trade deals

Protesters gathered in seven German cities on Saturday to oppose transatlantic trade pacts between the European Union and the US and Canada.

Campaigners assembled in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Munich. In Munich, thousands met at noon on the central Odeonsplatz square and adjourning Ludwigsstrasse in heavy rain as the annual Oktoberfest opened just a few miles away. "There is no bad weather, there are only bad trade agreements," Karl Baer, of the Munich Environmental Institute, said in opening remarks at the gathering in front of people wielding signs and flags of organisations including the Green party, labour unions, local farmer groups and non-government organisations such as Attac and Greenpeace.

Protesters argued that the trade agreements would favour industrialised agricultural production over craft-based food production not involving genetic engineering, cost thousands of jobs and lead to lower standards on employment and food safety.

EU government officials such as France's Minister of Foreign Trade Matthias Fekl and German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel have been talking down the prospects of an agreement between the US and the EU about 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.

While TTIP's advocates point to the economic benefits and the introduction of global standards, its detractors say it will erode wages and conditions. A populist surge is meanwhile feeding protectionist sentiment that further complicates the conclusion of trade agreements such as an EU-Canada deal known as CETA.