Geneva (TDI): What began as a peaceful mass demonstration on the shores of Lake Geneva descended into street battles on Sunday, as tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police on the eve of the G7 summit in nearby Evian, France.
The demonstration initially appeared orderly, with large crowds marching through the city carrying banners reading “No to the G7 and all imperialist alliances!” Protesters voiced solidarity with Palestinians, climate activists, feminists and anti-capitalist movements.
Tensions escalated when groups of masked demonstrators dressed in black broke through security barriers and began vandalizing property along the route, hurling bottles, stones, chunks of concrete and firecrackers at police officers, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Several prominent buildings were targeted, including offices of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union and premises belonging to global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Journalists inside the UN complex reported hearing explosions, police sirens and helicopters circling overhead throughout the unrest.
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Among the more striking images of the day was a Tesla car set ablaze and spray-painted with the slogan “Eat the Rich;” a symbol of the anger many protesters directed at the billionaire class and its political allies.
By around 7pm, police estimated that roughly 20,000 people had participated in the demonstration, including some 600 members of the so-called “Black Bloc,” a loosely organized group known for militant protest tactics.
The unrest revived memories of the 2003 G7 summit in Evian, when anti-globalization demonstrations caused widespread violence and millions of dollars in property damage.
The protests were organized by the “No-G7” coalition, a grouping of more than 60 associations, unions and left-wing organizations opposed to what they describe as fascism and imperialism.
The coalition had originally planned a counter-summit in the French border town of Annemasse, but French authorities blocked those plans.
The G7 summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, opens Monday – today – and will bring together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.
Most world leaders are expected to fly into Geneva Airport before travelling roughly 40 kilometers to Evian; a journey that will take them through a city where anti-G7 protestors have left behind some hard questions.
