GENEVA — Dozens of shops and businesses in central Geneva covered their storefronts with wooden boards on Sunday as the city prepared for planned anti-G7 demonstrations.
Authorities in Switzerland and France have rolled out tight security ahead of the summit, which begins Monday and will bring together U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders of the world’s major industrialized nations. Officials fear the high-profile meeting could draw violent unrest.
The June 15-17 gathering is being held in the French lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva. Leaders are expected to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances. Activist groups, including environmental campaigners, feminists and anti-capitalist organizations, have called for a large protest later Sunday.
On Saturday, a flotilla of about 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva near Evian, carrying banners opposing the G7 and supporting Palestinians. Swiss media also reported that around 20 protesters were detained Friday evening.
Earlier in the day, between 100 and 150 people took part in a protest bike ride through Geneva, according to public broadcaster RTS. The demonstration slowed traffic as participants chanted anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian slogans.
Shop owners and local officials say they are concerned about a repeat of the violence seen during the 2003 G8 summit, when Russia was still part of the group and protests led to smashed storefronts and other damage.
Local resident Robin Hedz lamented the “mess” and expressed bafflement about the “wood-wall everywhere,” while acknowledging the memories of the trail of damaged property at the summit over a generation ago.
The Swiss government said the army will deploy some 4,000 personnel to support police during the summit. Operations will include airspace and road restrictions as well as patrols on Lake Geneva. Seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open. Geneva also is closing a major park where activists wanted to congregate.
France will deploy more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area just across the border. Over 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally.
French gendarmes buzzed around in motorboats off the coast of Evian on Saturday, and one officer hoisted up a bulky drone-interception device in a display of the security measures being rolled out for the summit.
Protests are nothing new around such elite gatherings. This time, activists want to demonstrate frustration with Trump’s leadership on issues as diverse as tariffs, the war in Iran and the climate, or even highlight his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“We are very afraid of the policy and the politics of Mr. Trump and also of the other leaders of the G7, because they are fighting, making war all over the place,” said Francoise Nyffeler, spokesperson for the NoG7 coalition, which has organized the demonstration and march on 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.
