Thousands protest Bush at Americas summit

[mandy]

Anti-U.S. demonstrations at the Americas Summit turned violent on Friday as protesters set fire to a bank, looted stores and battled riot police blocks from a luxury hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush met with regional leaders.

The violence came hours after tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets shouting "Get out Bush!" in a peaceful protest against the U.S. leader, who is unpopular among many Latin Americans who oppose the Iraq war and his push for a regional free trade deal.

The two-day meeting of Western Hemisphere leaders is expected to be a showdown over differing views on free trade between the American president and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Bush arrives at the meeting with his popularity at home sinking further. For the first time in his presidency, a majority of Americans questioned his integrity as his approval ratings on key issues fell to new lows, in an ABC News/Washington Post poll.

full article: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/05112005/325/th...ummit.html