Geneva on high alert as 50,000 G7 protesters expected

Up to 50,000 demonstrators are expected to march in the Swiss border city of Geneva to protest capitalism, exploitation and a range of other issues ahead of the G7 summit in the French town of Évian.

Sunday’s protest is organized by the G7 coalition of several dozen groups.

The Geneva city government said the demonstration took place in Geneva because France, which criticized the decision, refused to allow any protests near the G7 summit.

Geneva is located approximately 50 km southwest of Évian.

Since Geneva Airport is the closest airport to the summit, it will also serve as the arrival point of the leaders and delegations who will attend the summit on Monday.

Geneva city center has been under a state of emergency for days: Hundreds of luxury shops and banks, as well as hotels and supermarkets, have covered their facades and shop windows with plywood panels for fear of unrest.

At a summit in Évian in 2003, rioters broke windows, looted shops and caused millions in damage in Geneva.