Violence in Geneva ahead of G7: clashes between protesters and police, Tesla set alight
Approximately 20,000 people protested in Geneva against the G7 summit. Clashes erupted when protesters threw projectiles and set a Tesla car on fire.
Violence in Geneva ahead of G7: clashes between protesters and police, Tesla set alight
Clashes erupted on Sunday afternoon near the United Nations headquarters in Geneva during a march against the G7, organised on the eve of the summit of world leaders in Évian, France. According to information from the AFP news agency, participants threw bottles, stones, pieces of cement and firecrackers at the forces of order. Police responded by using tear gas.
The protesters also set fire to a Tesla vehicle and smashed windows in United Nations offices. Other buildings were targeted, notably the PricewaterhouseCoopers offices and the headquarters of the International Telecommunication Union.
The mobilisation brought together approximately 20,000 people according to estimates. Initially, the procession proceeded peacefully before disturbances occurred on the margins of the event. The organisers denounced the G7 as a symbol of the concentration of political and economic power.
Swiss authorities took significant security measures ahead of the summit. Geneva airport was closed and police services were reinforced, with the support of 5,000 soldiers mobilised for the occasion. The G7 summit will continue until Wednesday in Évian, on the Franco-Swiss border.
This was not the first time the region had experienced such violence. In 2003, during a similar summit in Évian, protests against globalisation turned violent, resulting in fires at numerous shops in Geneva and elsewhere, as well as injuries to several protesters and officers.
Source: Philenews