By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Thousands of demonstrators thronged the streets of Geneva on Sunday ahead of the G7 summit slated to commence in Evian in neighbouring France on Monday, with heavy police presence amid fears of a repeat of the violence seen at a similar summit in 2003.
The demonstrators carried placards with various inscriptions such as “No to the G7 and all imperialist alliances!”, “Abort the G7” and others. They gathered in a park on the shores of Lake Geneva and later made their way through a barricaded city that seemed to be bracing for an invasion, as helicopters hovered above.
Under a scourge of the sun, they set off shortly after 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), chanting slogans with diverse messages, supporting Palestinians, climate action, feminism and anti-capitalist activism.
Police estimate the number of protesters at up to 7,000 at the beginning of the procession, but by 4:30 pm, AFP journalists estimated the number was closer to 15,000.
“I’m here because I’m not happy that this group of heads of state is meeting here to make decisions that affect all of us,” Michel, a 69-year-old Swiss retiree waving a Palestinian flag, told AFP.
The coalition, made up of around 200 associations, organisations and unions, called for an “internationalist response” to the policies promoted by the Group of Seven leaders, who kick off their three-day annual gathering on Monday.
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 late Sunday evening, followed by other leaders on Monday, including US President Donald Trump.
The group will have a packed agenda of potentially critical global issues, including efforts to end the war in Iran, with Trump’s claims of an imminent deal shrouded in uncertainty.
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 moving 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, were destroyed.
Geneva police said Sunday afternoon they had confiscated a number of objects from protesters “likely to be used as weapons”, including knives, axes, gas canisters, and powerful pyrotechnical devices
