Key facts
- Geneva businesses are boarding up storefronts in anticipation of anti-G7 protests.
- Thousands of protesters are expected to demonstrate in Geneva ahead of the G7 summit in Evian, France.
Geneva is tightening security and businesses are boarding up ahead of anti-G7 protests, with fears of violence echoing past summits. Thousands of demonstrators are expected, while French and Swiss authorities deploy significant law enforcement.
The heightened security and planned protests underscore the global tensions and significant opposition faced by G7 leaders as they convene to address critical international issues, with potential for disruption and conflict.
Geneva is on high alert as businesses board up storefronts amid extensive security measures for the upcoming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. Thousands of protesters are expected to rally against the G7 leaders' policies, with authorities anxious to prevent a repeat of the violence seen at the 2003 summit.
Concerns over potential unrest have led to a significant security deployment, with approximately 4,000 Swiss army personnel and over 13,000 French police and gendarmes on duty. Measures include airspace and road restrictions, patrols on Lake Geneva, and enhanced border controls. Several events have been cancelled, and the main hospital has prepared for potential casualties.
The 'No-G7' coalition, comprising over 60 associations and unions, aims to denounce "fascism and imperialism." While a planned counter-summit in Annemasse, France, was abandoned due to French conditions, a demonstration is permitted in Geneva on a route away from the city center. Activist groups plan to protest against issues such as tariffs, conflicts, and climate change.
Leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump and host French President Emmanuel Macron are set to discuss a packed agenda, potentially including efforts to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping bottleneck.