Approximately 7,000 demonstrators engaged in confrontations with law enforcement, ignited a vehicle, and shattered the windows of a financial institution in the Swiss city on Sunday.
In Geneva on Sunday, protesters engaged in clashes with police, torched an automobile, and broke the windows of a bank to express their opposition to the G7 coalition of major industrialized nations, just ahead of a summit in neighboring France that will be attended by the group's leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
Environmental advocates and feminists, alongside opponents of imperialism, champions of independent journalism, backers of Palestinian rights, and various other groups, assembled in a lakeside park in Geneva for a procession across the Swiss city. A vessel bearing a sail inscribed with "No G7" drifted by as sunbathers and swimmers enjoyed the clear skies.
Police deployed tear gas in response to objects hurled at them by protesters, and firefighters responded to a burning vehicle situated mere minutes from the march route, as riot police established a secured perimeter to facilitate their operations. A crowd gathered nearby, with numerous individuals using mobile phones to capture the destruction.
Further along the procession path, the wooden barricades of a Banque du Leman were torn down and its windows were shattered.
Alexandre Brahier, a spokesperson for the Geneva police, reported that an estimated 7,000 individuals were participating in the march. He refrained from specifying the number of arrests made, noting that authorities were awaiting a comprehensive assessment.
Within the crowd, a cluster of approximately 15 young people dressed in black hoodies and masks assembled behind an anti-Trump placard. Signs bearing the message "Antisemitic never; anti-Zionist always" were also visible.