50,000 G7 Protesters Shut Down City Ahead of Trump Visit
Geneva braced for up to 50,000 protesters ahead of the G7 summit, prompting authorities to implement sweeping security measures, close 27 border crossings, and shut down the city center.
Geneva effectively entered lockdown on Sunday, according to New York Post, with businesses closing their doors and boarding up windows in anticipation of potential violence. Anti-protester wire fencing cordoned off major streets while police vans positioned themselves at key intersections, officers equipped with riot gear standing ready.
President Trump is scheduled to arrive at the G7 summit on Monday. Like other world leaders, he will land at Geneva’s airport before making his way to the actual summit location in nearby Evian, France.
In an extraordinary security operation, French and Swiss authorities closed 27 border crossings on Sunday to prevent protesters from reaching the small spa town on Lake Geneva’s shores where the participating heads of state will be staying.
Military helicopters conducted surveillance flights over Lake Geneva, circling the city’s famous Jet d’Eau, one of the world’s tallest fountains. Police boats patrolled the waterway below.
Coalition of Left-Wing Groups Mobilizes
The demonstration, which required official permits, brings together a “No-G7” coalition comprising more than 60 associations, unions, and left-wing organizations that denounce what they call “fascism and imperialism.”
Anti-summit messaging appeared throughout Geneva in the form of posters plastered by activist groups, one reading: “The only good system is a sound system.”
Authorities fear Sunday’s protests could mirror the violence of 2003, when destructive demonstrators smashed windows and inflicted thousands in damages during the G8 summit, back when Russia remained a member of the group.
Francoise Nyffeler, spokesperson for the NoG7 coalition, told the Associated Press that protesters oppose the policies of summit participants. She claimed concerns about global warfare and environmental dangers motivated the mass demonstration.
Security Forces Deploy Across Border
A preliminary protest action already occurred Friday, when approximately 20 boats formed a flotilla off Evian’s shore on Lake Geneva Saturday, displaying anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian banners.
Given the scale of the protest movement and the concentration of world leaders in the area, both French and Swiss military personnel have been deployed to support local police forces.
The G7 unites leaders from the world’s largest developed economies: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron, serving as summit host, extended invitations to several additional leaders, including representatives from India and multiple Middle Eastern nations.
The three-day summit beginning Monday marks the first such gathering since Trump launched military action against Iran. The start date was pushed back by one day to allow Trump to celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday at the White House, where UFC will stage seven bouts in an octagon constructed on the South Lawn.
With information from New York Post
