On June 8, approximately 20,000 people gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to protest against the G7 summit taking place in Evian, France, across Lake Geneva. The demonstration began peacefully under blazing sun, with Palestinian flags, climate banners, and slogans against capitalism and Western military alliances.
Tensions escalated when small groups dressed in black, reportedly about 600 people from the "Black Bloc" movement, broke away from the main march and began destroying property. They smashed barriers, attacked luxury apartment buildings, and set cars on fire. A Tesla was found ablaze with the words "Eat the Rich" spray-painted on its body. Buildings near the United Nations European headquarters were also damaged.
As the situation spiraled, Geneva police resorted to tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, forcing an alteration of the approved march route away from upscale shopping districts in the city center to prevent a repeat of the violence seen at the 2003 G8 summit.
This year's G7 summit is one of the first major international meetings since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in February. Leaders are expected to focus on how to halt that conflict as well as Russia's war in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Evian on June 8 to chair the summit, with thousands of Swiss and French security personnel deployed around the lake area.
