Protesters in Geneva have clashed with police, set a car on fire and smashed a bank's windows, just before a G-7 summit in nearby France.
Riot police in Geneva fired tear gas and water cannons at stone-throwing youths as a 20,000-strong march against the nearby G-7 summit briefly turned violent.
Largely peaceful demonstrations advocated for women’s rights, environmental and Palestinian rights, while denouncing President Trump and G-7 policies. Swiss and French authorities sealed roads, limited border crossings and deployed thousands of officers as G-7 leaders meet in nearby Evian to confront wars, inequality and access to critical minerals.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in clashes with stone-throwing youths during a protest Sunday in Geneva against the Group of 7 bloc of wealthy nations, a day before its leaders hold a summit in nearby France. A violent standoff extended into the evening after a series of incidents — including a car set ablaze and a bank’s windows smashed — along the route of an afternoon march that drew an estimated 20,000 people, including some 600 “Black Bloc” militants, according to figures from Geneva police spokesman Alexandre Brahier.
The demonstration, which had been previously organized by a hodgepodge of activist groups after weeks of negotiations with local authorities, was otherwise peaceful — with environmentalists, women’s rights advocates, supporters of Palestinians and foes of imperialism, fascism and capitalism. Early on during the march, firefighters extinguished a Tesla that was set ablaze next to the central bus stop, and a phalanx of riot police cordoned off a secure area as a crowd congregated nearby.
A handful of demonstrators ripped down wooden barriers that were previously erected to protect a Banque du Leman and smashed its windows. Several groups of dozens of youths wearing black hoodies, masks and goggles were mixed in among the other marchers, some holding a banner denouncing President Trump, who will be attending the summit. Two with their faces totally covered refused to speak with the Associated Press and silently waved off questions before the protest began.
Some protesters fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear. The vast majority of marchers at the front were advocates of women’s rights, many wearing purple T-shirts and holding up banners and posters that decried the “patriarchy,” a lack of women in executive positions and inequality in pay and executive jobs in the workplace.
Other marchers held signs that showed sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza, displayed slogans like “Antisemitic never; anti-Zionist always” and criticized Trump — often with expletives — among other sharply worded messages. Organizers of the protest printed a handbook for demonstrators that included a map of the security perimeter, tips on how to gear up for the march, and advice on how to behave if detained by police.
Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police to provide security for the three-day summit starting Monday in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains, France. The leaders are set to discuss wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and economic issues like global inequality and access to critical minerals. Ahead of the gathering, authorities in Geneva blocked off roads, banned unauthorized gatherings and pledged financial support for businesses that could be hit by unrest.
Scores of businesses and shops in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels as a precaution, leery of upheaval that left a trail of damage in the city during a similar summit in Evian in 2003. Only seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open. The show of activism began a day earlier: A flotilla of around 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva off the coast of Evian on Saturday, displaying anti-G-7 and pro-Palestinian banners.
Swiss media reports said some 20 protesters had been detained Friday evening. Resident Robin Hedz lamented the “mess” and expressed bafflement about the “wood-wall everywhere,” while acknowledging the memories of the trail of damaged property over 20 years ago. The G-7 brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Leaders of several other countries — including India, Kenya and Ukraine — were expected to join for discussions.
France has announced the deployment of more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area. More than 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally. Protests are nothing new around such elite gatherings. This time, activists expressed frustration with Trump’s leadership on issues including tariffs, the war in Iran, climate and his past ties to convicted late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The G-7 summit takes place as the United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end the war.
“We are very afraid of the policy and the politics of Mr. Trump and also of the other leaders of the G-7, because they are fighting, making war all over the place,” said Francoise Nyffeler, spokesperson for the NoG7 coalition behind the demonstration Sunday. “The planet is in danger and we are very scared about it, and we want to protest and say that the people of the world are against their policies,” she added.
Keaten writes for the Associated Press. AP journalists Oleg Cetinic, Kwiyeon Ha, Baz Ratner and Florent Bajrami in Geneva and Samuel Petrequin in London contributed to this report. Rebuilding L.A. : How One Altadena Neighborhood Builds Back, Piece By Piece It turns out you can burn down a neighborhood and not destroy a community.
We’ve seen evidence of this all across L.A. and so we will head back to one neighborhood that’s a good example of that bond: West Poppyfields Drive in Altadena. Today we discuss one of the pivotal events of the 1960s: the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Though the gunman was caught at the scene, confessed at trial, and even bragged about the shooting, his motives have largely been forgotten.
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