GENEVA (AP) — Authorities in France and Switzerland are implementing extensive security protocols reminiscent of pandemic border controls as U.S. President Donald Trump and fellow world leaders prepare for a G7 summit beginning Monday, with officials concerned about possible violent demonstrations.
The gathering of leaders from the globe’s wealthiest countries will take place June 15-17 in Evian-les-Bains, a French community situated on Lake Geneva, with discussions planned on Middle Eastern affairs, Ukraine, and worldwide economic disparities.
In the neighboring Swiss city of Geneva, merchants and civic officials hope to prevent a recurrence of the destructive demonstrations that damaged shop windows during the 2003 G8 summit when Russia remained part of the group.
Demonstrations have become commonplace at such high-profile international meetings. On this occasion, protesters plan to express dissatisfaction with Trump’s policies on matters ranging from trade tariffs and the conflict in Iran to environmental concerns, while some may also reference his previous connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Geneva officials and various activist organizations, including environmental advocates, women’s rights supporters, and anti-capitalist groups, are in conflict over demonstration rights versus protection from those targeting symbols of corporate and governmental authority.
“As the G7 meets in Evian, France, to plan the destruction of peoples, the exploitation of life and the domination of bodies, let us organize our resistance against fascism and imperialism,” the No G7 coalition of anti-capitalism groups said in its call for a “large-scale internationalist mobilization against this meeting.”
Geneva merchants have begun covering their storefronts with protective barriers, while organizations such as the World Trade Organization, which experienced anti-capitalist demonstrations in Seattle during the 1990s, are shuttering offices and directing employees to work from home.
Switzerland, a wealthy Alpine nation, is not part of the G7 membership which consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.
French and Swiss officials have established a military cooperation pact for summit security. Visiting dignitaries will arrive through Geneva’s airport, which sits almost entirely within French territory and connects to Switzerland through a narrow land corridor.
Swiss officials announced that military forces will provide approximately 4,000 personnel to assist law enforcement. Security operations will encompass flight restrictions, Lake Geneva patrols, and traffic limitations. Only seven of 35 border crossing points will stay operational. Geneva authorities are also shutting down a significant park where demonstrators had planned to assemble.
French forces will station over 13,000 police and gendarmerie personnel to maintain security in the summit vicinity across the border. More than 800 French border agents will be working, compared to the typical 60.
France has also established special authorization requirements for Evian residents, the town famous for its bottled water, and surrounding areas while creating a restricted perimeter around the Hotel Royal where leaders will convene.
An approved demonstration is scheduled for June 14. Spontaneous public assemblies are prohibited.
Cedric Dupont, a professor of international relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said authorities were “overreacting” with such stringent security measures that will impact the economy and people, alluding to the long lines at the border during the COVID crisis.
“It seems that they have not learned the lesson,” he said, noting that protesters can find their way to Geneva by traveling from other parts of Switzerland. “It’s just creating more problems than actually solving them.”
Over 110,000 cross-border workers commute daily from France to Geneva, France’s Foreign Ministry says.
French authorities have advised people to postpone nonessential travel and work from home when possible.
Lake crossings by boat, also used by commuters, have been moved from Evian to other ferry landings outside restricted areas. Recreational water activities, including paddleboarding and swimming, will be allowed outside the summit area as the summer season begins, authorities said.
The Geneva canton, or state, has set up a 6 million Swiss franc ($7.6 million) fund for businesses that incur damage related to G7 protests.
“Unrest cannot be ruled out,” authorities have said.
