Geneva G7 Protests Update: Today, the protests in Geneva over the upcoming G7 summit continued in Geneva, Switzerland. And this time, the situation turned ugly with protesters trying to take aim at the police.
Geneva G7 Protests Update: Protests Spill Over Into Second Consecutive Day
Today, the protests over the upcoming G7 summit continued to erupt in Switzerland for the second consecutive day. Estimates suggest that the protest was attended by over 20,000 people. It is important to note that most G7 attendees will first land at the Geneva airport before heading to nearby Evian Les-Bains in France.
Geneva G7 Protests Update: When Protests Turned Ugly
According to most reports, the second day of the G7 protests in G7 turned ugly. Some violent protesters vandalised cars and smashed the windows of a bank. Some protesters even fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear.
The police then had to retaliate by using tear gas and water cannons. They also prevented the protesters from going close to the summit venues, where security has been scaled up. Both Swiss and French authorities are co-ordinating with each other to ensure that the summit happens, without any major disruptions. As a result, over 800 officers from the French border control force have been deployed in both Geneva and Evian Les-Bains.
Geneva G7 Protests Update: Why are the Protests Happening?
The protests over the G7 summit are happening because protesters believe that the summit only serves the interests of a group of seven wealthy nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the US, the UK and Japan). Some key agendas of the protesters include the US-Iran conflict, global warming, anti capitalism and anti imperialism. While many also expressed dissatisfaction due to the attendance of US President Donald Trump.
Local Authorities Response
Carole Anne Kavast, the security minister of Geneva said about the protests, “We want to guarantee the right to demonstrate, but we also have to ensure public order and protect residents and businesses”. While, a spokesperson from the Geneva police stated “We confiscated knives and pyrotechnics from demonstrators. Violence will not be tolerated, but peaceful protest is allowed”.
G7 Summit 2026: About the Evian Les-Bains Summit
The upcoming G7 summit will happen in Evian-Les-Bains from 15th June, 2026 to 17th June, 2026. Apart from the G7 member countries, it will be attended by leaders from multiple countries including India, Ukraine, South Korea, the UAE and others. Some key topics of discussion will include the global economy, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Iran conflict and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Disclaimer: This article has been written with inputs from news agencies.
