Thousands protest G7 in Geneva as summit opens in France

Geneva turned into the first battlefield over the G7 before the summit even opened across the border in France. Thousands of protesters filled the Swiss city on Sunday, pressing the question of whether the group of wealthy democracies can still claim public legitimacy as leaders gathered in Évian-les-Bains, just over Lake Geneva.

The rally was organized by the No-G7 coalition, a bloc of more than 60 associations, unions and left-wing groups. Organizers said they aimed to denounce “fascism and imperialism,” while activists also targeted Donald Trump’s leadership on tariffs, the war in Iran and climate policy. The protest gave voice to a wider anger aimed not just at one president, but at the summit itself and the gap between the leaders’ agenda and the grievances building in the streets.

The G7 meeting, scheduled for June 15-17 in Évian-les-Bains, was set to focus on the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances. That agenda did little to calm the mood in Geneva, where security officials said they were preparing for around 50,000 protesters and downtown businesses boarded up storefronts ahead of the march. French and Swiss authorities imposed a week of pandemic-like border restrictions and tight security, with French military boats patrolling Lake Geneva.

The day’s events also showed how protest tactics can shape public perception. While the demonstration drew a wide turnout, Reuters reported that some activists smashed windows and set a Tesla ablaze during the anti-G7 march, giving authorities and summit organizers a vivid display of property damage alongside the larger peaceful crowd. That split mattered: it broadened the protest’s visibility while also providing the kind of images officials fear can eclipse the message.

Authorities were already bracing for a repeat of the 2003 G8 summit violence, when anti-summit unrest in nearby Geneva and Lausanne caused millions of dollars in damage. On the eve of this summit, the tension was unmistakable. What unfolded in Geneva was not just a protest against a meeting in France, but a test of whether the G7 still has the public standing to govern without a widening legitimacy crisis.