In 2003, Evian isolated itself from the outside world because of the G8 summit. A Frenchman who was unable to use his bistro for a week reports.images: keystone, watson
In 2003, Sylvain ran a restaurant just outside Evian. One morning, several people stormed into the restaurant the Frenchman ran to clear it out and set up computers. As the G7 approaches, he talks about it.
June 8, 2026, 8:16 p.mJune 8, 2026, 8:16 p.m
translation
This text was written by our colleagues from French-speaking Switzerland and we translated it for you.
In exactly one week, the town of Evian-les-Bains will be cut off from the outside world, Trump’s secret service will be in charge and residents will be closely monitored at checkpoints on every street corner. While Switzerland is doing everything it can to avoid a repeat of the historic riots of 2003 – both in Geneva and Lausanne – Watson met a French restaurateur who experienced the G8 first hand.
“One morning they stormed in and started clearing out our restaurant. I panicked.”
Sylvain* was only in his early 20s when he realized that the restaurant he co-operated would be in Zone 1 during the summit. An area that includes the city of Evian but also some nearby municipalities such as Neuvecelle, Publier or Amphion. A strictly secured zone where cars require a vignette and residents require a personalized ID card.
At first he didn’t know much more, but there was a rumor that his restaurant could be confiscated by the state. «I was a little surprised because we were four or five kilometers from the center. I was told that this was a possibility, but we didn’t really believe in it and there was never an official exchange on the subject,” he tells us on a café terrace in Switzerland. An unclear situation, which quickly developed into a real commando operation: “Everything happened very quickly.”
“You get up in the morning, come to work and there are people taking away our tables and chairs, laying carpet and dismantling the terrace. I tried to stop her at first. I was afraid.”
Sylvain
Shortly afterwards, Sylvain receives a message from the municipality assuring him that everything is fine and that he will receive compensation. Now he is forced to hand over the keys to the bistro and leave the restaurant until the most powerful heads of state in the world have left.
The press center moves in to replace its regular guests. A few hours later, journalists from all over the world connect their computers and printers in Sylvain’s dining room, but also in the neighboring sports center, where a separate cubicle has been set up for each medium.
«I saw entire pallets of material arrive. Everything was very well organized and really impressive. To be honest, it’s a very strange feeling when your own restaurant is claimed by the state. Especially when you’re just 20 years old.”
Sylvain
23 years ago the world was a completely different place: Putin, his arms folded behind his back, facing Jacques Chirac, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Tony Blair and Gerhard Schröder.Image: EPA
But even though the streets of Geneva and Lausanne were literally on fire during the summit, everything ultimately turned out well for Sylvain. The compensation was linked to sales, and when he returned to his restaurant he found no damage.
Even better: the state employees not only left the premises “almost as before,” but the “beautiful wooden terrace” that was built for the occasion even became the property of the restaurant: “I asked for it, and it was convenient for them not to have to dismantle it.”
Were there really no glitches at all?
“Oh, I have a little anecdote: They once called me urgently because they needed my key to open the toilet paper holders and change the rolls!”
Although the confiscation of his bistro allowed him to get through the G8 summit without problems, many of his colleagues in central Evian were not so lucky.
Some restaurants even had to close temporarily because customers weren’t coming, while the region was already in the grip of an early heatwave two months before the tragic heatwave in August. “The restaurateurs had a hard time making ends meet, yes. That’s not really surprising: who wants to eat on a terrace when police and soldiers are checking on everyone from morning to night?” says Sylvain.
“In any case, a summit like this means maximum security precautions,” he says as he lights a cigarette. How does this cross-border commuter, who now works in Switzerland, view the G7 summit in his region in the coming days? «Let’s put it this way: the world has changed, the geopolitical situation is very unstable today. I don’t even dare to imagine how extensive the security measures will be. Twenty-three years ago, relations between the countries were much more peaceful.”
“For me, like thousands of other employees, everyday life and traffic will become significantly more complicated starting next week. I’ve decided to stay overnight in Geneva during the summit, but that means I won’t see my children for a week. The G7 summit is already having a significant impact on the population.”
Sylvain
From June 11th, Evian-les-Bains and the surrounding municipalities will once again be at a standstill. A highly secured bunker, which this time will house a new player that didn’t even exist in 2003: the smartphone.
“I thought about that before we met,” laughs Sylvain. «I don’t have a single photo that I could show you. Back then I probably had a Nokia 3210 – can you imagine? This year, thanks to smartphones, drones and all the other technology, we might get to see a little more of the inside of Evian. Who knows!”
The answer to that will be available in a week.