Anti-G7 march in Geneva turns violent: Tesla burned, bank and UN offices damaged as police clash with black bloc

A day of protest

Thousands gathered at Parc Mon Repos in Geneva on Sunday afternoon for a ‘No G7’ march, convened by a coalition of around 60 associations, trade unions and left-wing groups. Feminist, pro-Palestinian and Kurdish blocs led the procession, many participants wearing purple to coincide with the feminist strike day. The march was aimed at the Group of Seven summit that opens on Monday across the border in Evian-les-Bains. Estimates of the crowd varied sharply: Geneva police put the number at about 20,000, though a separate police figure cited by Reuters spoke of up to 7,000 attendees. Organisers claimed tens of thousands. About 600 people were identified by police as belonging to the black bloc.

Police (Reuters)7,000

Geneva police20,000

Police (Reuters)

7000 people

Geneva police

20000 people

Data from the article text

“To me, it's a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind.”

Escalation and damage

Isolated acts of vandalism broke out early in the march. A Tesla was set on fire, and the windows of a Banque du Léman branch were smashed. Later, masked protesters in the Nations district shattered the windows of a building on avenue Giuseppe-Motta that houses the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), attempting to force entry. A United Nations agency also sustained damage. Police had carried out preventive searches before the march, confiscating knives, axes, telescopic batons and pyrotechnic materials. Organisers denounced the security measures as disproportionate.

“This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest.”

“The values represented by the G7 are completely misogynistic, and they contribute to inequality because there is absolutely no equality.”

Police crackdown

Tensions rose in the late afternoon near Cornavin railway station and in the Grand-Pré area, where protesters threw objects at officers. Police responded with tear gas and deployed a water cannon. The clashes later shifted to the Nations district, close to the European headquarters of the UN. Geneva police spokesman Alexandre Brahier announced that the demonstration was no longer authorised and instructed participants to leave the area. Black bloc groups moved back towards the UN quarter, where further confrontations occurred.

“Participants were instructed to disperse after several incidents.”

Summit backdrop

The G7 summit runs from 15 to 17 June in Evian-les-Bains on the shore of Lake Geneva. Leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, together with the European Union, are expected to focus on the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump will seek to avoid a clash with allies as he works to finalise a framework peace deal with Iran. The heavy security presence — with businesses boarded up and hundreds of riot police deployed — recalls the severe riots that marred the Evian summit 23 years ago.