Thousands of people have demonstrated in the Swiss border city of Geneva against the G7 summit taking place across Lake Geneva in France, with around 7,000 security personnel deployed ahead of an expected turnout of up to 50,000 protesters.
Sunday's protest was organized by a No G7 coalition of several dozen groups ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in the French town of Évian located on the other side of Lake Geneva, which kicks off on Monday.
The demonstration was taking place in Geneva because France declined to issue permits for any protests near the G7 summit venue, the Geneva city government said, criticizing the decision. Geneva lies around 50 kilometres south-west of Évian.
The protest march followed its approved route until late afternoon with no initial signs of confrontation. A car then caught fire. Many placards were directed against US President Donald Trump.
Police initially kept a low profile and were barely visible along the route. Some individuals were later seen throwing projectiles at the police, who used tear gas.
During the demonstration, some protesters tore down the plywood panels that had been fitted to hundreds of shops to protect their windows. Windows were smashed, including at a bank and a moped shop. Near the bus station, a Tesla caught fire.
Protesters then continued peacefully along the designated route. The police reported on Facebook that they seized several items apparently intended for use in confrontations with the police.
Geneva's city centre has been in a state of emergency for days: Hundreds of luxury shops and banks, as well as hotels and supermarkets, have boarded up their facades and shop windows with plywood panels out of fear of unrest.
At a summit in Évian in 2003, rioters smashed windows, looted shops and caused millions in damage in Geneva.
That protest was also directed against a summit in Évian, at the time a G8 meeting that still included Russia.
The events of 2003 were a trauma for Geneva police, said the region's police chief, Monica Bonfanti.
A coalition of around 60 groups called for Sunday's protest against the G7. Geneva police have this time mobilized reinforcements from across the country.
Several thousand officers have been checking vehicles and the identity papers of passers-by throughout the city for two days.
In bright sunshine, several thousand people gathered at a meeting point in a park on the shores of Lake Geneva, carrying placards, according to initial estimates.
Many participants carried Palestinian flags. The different groups included feminists, trade union representatives, Kurds and a "revolutionary bloc," a spokeswoman said ahead of the event.
The No G7 coalition's manifesto called for protests against US military bases in Europe, higher minimum wages, free contraception, unrestricted freedom of movement for workers from around the world and the removal of gender from all identity documents.
The coalition also addressed the G7 directly, calling it an "illegitimate and outdated institution, a private club that no longer reflects today's world."
"Major powers make decisions in favour of the most privileged minority in the world and to the detriment of more than 90% of the population," it said.
The task of Swiss security forces extended beyond managing the demonstration. They also had to guarantee the safety of arriving G7 leaders. Geneva's airport is the closest to Évian, with most delegations expected to arrive there on Monday.
Geneva sits like an enclave within French territory. The Swiss have closed around 30 of the border crossings, leaving just seven open, and began carrying out identity checks in the city on Friday.
