Protests Disrupt Opening Day of German World’s Fair
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HANOVER, Germany — Protesters angry about the $1.8 billion spent on Germany’s first world’s fair disrupted the grand opening Thursday by blocking a road and railway lines to the fairgrounds.
“Expo No” posters were visible around the entrance as German President Johannes Rau cut a red ribbon and officially declared Expo 2000 open.
After a tour, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder declared the extravaganza “a great mixture of entertainment and educational possibilities.”
Small groups of protesters have campaigned against the expo for weeks, charging that the money could have been better spent on Germany’s cash-strapped education system.
Many opening-day visitors were delayed by protesters who placed burning tires on rail lines heading to Hanover from the north and the south.
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