G8 summit: Thurmount, the sleepy mountain town near Camp David waiting to welcome the world’s leaders

Activists from the Occupy movement have announced an intention to conduct a “legal,
non-violent vigil on public sidewalks” in Thurmont, however many fear a
repeat of the violent disorder during the 2005 summit in Gleneagles,
Scotland, when more than 350 were arrested.

Sheriff Jenkins added: “If you do encounter activists in your travels, I
would request that you also respect their right to demonstrate peacefully
and simply don’t get involved in conversations with activists or
demonstrators that result in controversy.”

Local roads will also be closed, including part of Route 77, and an extended
‘no-fly zone’ brought into force. Any planes flying through the restricted
zone may be intercepted and detained, the North American Aerospace Defense
Command has warned.

Camp David itself lies within the Catocin Mountain Park, which is closed to
the public for the occasion – along with the neighbouring Cunningham Falls
Park – until Sunday morning.

It has been the site of many historic international meetings, including the
meeting of then-president Jimmy Carter with Egyptian President Anwar
al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem that led to the Camp David
Accords.

Security at the retreat is already high; it’s surrounded by a seven-feet,
electrified fence topped with an additional five feet of razor wire, and
patrolled by an elite group of marines with top security clearance.

It lies around sixty miles north of the White House, or around thirty minutes
travel by helicopter in Marine One.

Inside, the guests will be able to enjoy a heated pool, a driving range,
tennis and a putting green.

Underneath the log cabins where the leaders will meet lies a multi-storey
underground bomb shelter, built by President Eisenhower. It can operate as a
command centre, codenamed Cactus, in the event of war and has room for at
least 200 Presidential and military staff.

On the change of location, Obama told press gathered at the White House: “G8
tends to be a more informal setting in which we talk about a wide range of
issues in a pretty intimate way. And the thinking was that people would
enjoy being in a more casual backdrop. I think the weather should be good
that time of year.”

After the talks end on Saturday, Nato members will immediately travel to
Chicago for the Nato summit, where 3,100 police officers are on standby.

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