Swiss police fire tear gas as anti-G7 protesters target UN buildings in Geneva

Swiss police fired tear gas in Geneva on Sunday after anti-G7 demonstrators began targeting buildings linked to the United Nations, according to witnesses and police. The protest was tied to the upcoming Group of Seven summit in France, which is due to take place from June 15 to 17 in Evian-les-Bains, near Lake Geneva. Most of the march was described as peaceful, but the situation turned tense when some protesters moved towards UN-related sites in the city.

Sponsored

Police said up to 7,000 people attended the demonstration and that officers confiscated knives and pyrotechnic devices. Witnesses said some demonstrators threw stones at a UN telecommunication building and hurled flares as police tried to push them away from the area. There were also reports that a bank window was smashed and a Tesla was set ablaze.

The police response came as businesses in Geneva were boarded up and hundreds of riot officers were deployed amid concerns about possible violence. The protest reflected wider anger at the G7, which demonstrators described as a symbol of concentrated political and economic power. The summit is expected to bring together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the European Union.

According to the supplied material, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are set to dominate the agenda, while leaders will also seek to avoid a clash with Donald Trump as he works to finalise a framework peace deal with Iran. The Geneva protest also came against a backdrop of debate over inequality, with some demonstrators linking their criticism to the concentration of wealth. The city has a history of hosting protests around major international gatherings, and G7 meetings have often drawn demonstrations over capitalism, globalisation, climate change and inequality.

Sponsored

In this case, the location added extra sensitivity because Geneva is closely associated with international diplomacy and hosts United Nations-linked facilities. That made the targeting of a UN telecommunication building particularly significant, even though the march as a whole remained largely peaceful for much of the day. The incident also raised questions about how authorities balance the right to protest with the need to protect diplomatic and commercial sites.

What remains unclear is whether anyone was injured and whether any arrests were made during the unrest. It is also not yet clear how much damage was caused to the bank and the Tesla, or whether the confiscated items were directly linked to the violence. The broader security response in Geneva suggests officials were preparing for disruption before the march began, and attention will now turn to whether further protests follow as the G7 summit opens across the border in France.

The next developments will likely focus on any police assessment of the damage, possible charges, and whether organisers distance themselves from the violent episodes.

#Geneva #G7 #UnitedNations #teargas #protestunrest

Sponsored