Protests set to grip Geneva ahead of G7 summit

GENEVA: Thousands of protesters were expected to rally in Geneva on Sunday under a heavy police presence ahead of the G7 summit in Evian in neighbouring France, amid fears of a repeat of the violence that marked a similar summit in 2003.

The “No-G7” coalition of more than 60 associations, unions and left-wing groups aims to denounce “fascism and imperialism”.  The demonstration takes place the day before Group of Seven leaders start their three-day annual gathering.

The G7 summit will be one of the first major international gatherings since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, upending the Middle East and widening transatlantic tensions.

The G7 brings together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with invited leaders from several other countries, including Brazil and India.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the event, is due to arrive in Evian on Sunday evening, followed by other leaders on Monday, including US President Donald Trump.

The group will have a packed agenda of potentially explosive issues, including efforts to end the war in Iran and re-open the key Strait of Hormuz shipping bottleneck, with Trump insisting that a deal could be signed on Sunday.

 Geneva on edge

Most of the leaders will be arriving at Geneva Airport, before making the journey to Evian.

Geneva — about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of the French spa town — is on edge.

The authorities are anxious to avoid any repeat of the mayhem of 2003, when anti-G7 rioters caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the Swiss city.

The violence, looting and clashes live long in the memory and small shops, supermarkets and university buildings, some of them far from the protest route, are taking no chances and have boarded up their facades.

Several other events in the city have been scrapped, and the main hospital has set up large tents in case there is an influx of casualties.

The Swiss authorities have permitted a march around a lengthy loop on the north side of the city — well away from the city centre and its luxury boutiques.

They are deploying a significant number of police and security forces.

Due to conditions imposed by the French authorities, the No-G7 coalition abandoned plans for a counter-summit and demonstration Sunday in the French border town of Annemasse.

“What we fundamentally regret is that France did not create the conditions conducive to a kind of summit, counter-summit, village, forum or discussion” on its side of the border, Geneva’s Security Minister Carole-Anne Kast told reporters during the week.

 Tight security

“We hope to have a wonderful weekend with some lovely moments,” Alice Lefrancois, spokesperson for the coalition, told reporters.

“There will be security personnel, particularly to protect demonstrators from any form of external aggression, and there will also be a family area.

“We think it’s going to be a rather pleasant experience,” she added.

Geneva is almost entirely surrounded by France: nowhere in the Geneva canton is more than 5.5 kilometres (3.5 miles) from the French border.

Bracing for the protest and the summit, Swiss authorities have closed 25 of the 35 road border crossings, causing traffic jams in both directions.

Nearly 16,000 French police, gendarmes, troops, firefighters and border guards will be deployed, using boats, motorcycles and drones, alongside mounted police and dog-handling units, France’s Haute-Savoie regional prefecture said.

Switzerland has approved the deployment of 2,000-5,000 military personnel to “support” the cantonal police.

Around 4,000 Swiss troops will be on duty on land, on Lake Geneva and in the air, coordinating with the French military.