There were riots in Geneva on the occasion of the G7 summit. Image: keystone
June 15, 2026, 3:22 amJune 15, 2026, 3:22 am
The demonstration in Geneva against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian, France, was overshadowed by riots on Sunday evening. While tens of thousands of people peacefully took part in the rally, masked perpetrators damaged property, clashed with police and set a car on fire.
At around 7 p.m., police broke up the rally after several hours of increasing tension. At this point, there were still hundreds of peaceful demonstrators in Parc Mon Repos, while emergency services took action against violent groups in various locations. Tear gas continued to be used.
“We are working on several fronts,” said Laurent Paoliello, spokesman for the Geneva Department of Institutions and Digitalization, to the Keystone-SDA news agency. He spoke of around 600 members of the Black Bloc. Some of them erected barricades and were distributed in different locations.
A little more than an hour after the start of the rally, the situation initially came to a head in the area of Rue des Alpes and the train station. A Tesla vehicle was set on fire there. A bank’s shop windows were also damaged.
According to their own statements, the police had previously seized dangerous items such as axes and batons.Image: keystone
Paving stones, fireworks, tear gas
There were then further clashes in the Nations district. Demonstrators threw paving stones and fireworks at the police. The emergency services used tear gas and, in the evening, water cannons. They surrounded a hard core of violent demonstrators.
The personal details of several hundred people would be established and some might be arrested for criminal prosecution, the spokesman for a responsible local authority, Laurent Paoliello, told the broadcaster RTS. According to him, the material damage was limited. He praised the police’s efforts. Nobody was injured.
Several banks and other buildings were the target of property damage, including that of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the consulting firm PwC. On Avenue de France, public furniture and fireworks were also thrown onto the train tracks. According to their own statements, the police had previously seized dangerous items such as axes and batons.
In a statement, the French-speaking Swiss women’s strike collectives criticized what they saw as the “disproportionate and arbitrary” use of force by the police at the anti-G7 demonstration in Geneva. This represents a “worrying step backwards for the right to demonstrate,” they explained.
Against fascism, imperialism and capitalism
The rally began at 3:15 p.m. in great heat on Quai Wilson. The demonstration was led by the feminist bloc, in keeping with the national women’s strike day on June 14th. Other blocs represented pro-Palestinian, revolutionary, Kurdish and trade union causes, among others.
“Geneva rises,” the demonstrators chanted. Banners and slogans were directed against fascism, imperialism and capitalism. The No-G7 coalition is calling for the dissolution of the G7, whose summit takes place from Monday to Wednesday in Évian, France. The G7 countries include the USA, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada.
Despite the riots, the coalition drew a positive conclusion. “We won, we had a great demonstration,” said Françoise Nyffeler in front of several hundred activists. The organizers had struggled with the authorities for months over a permit and the demonstration route.
The organizers had struggled with the authorities for months over a permit and the demonstration route.Image: keystone
According to the police, around 20,000 people took part in the rally. The No-G7 coalition spoke of 60,000 participants. The authorities wanted to present a safety report that evening.
Around 1,000 Geneva police officers as well as reinforcements from other cantons and France were available for the operation. The authorities wanted to prevent riots like those on the sidelines of the 2003 G8 summit in Évian. Numerous shops in downtown Geneva had secured their shop windows with protective walls as a precaution. (sda/dpa)