Geneva reinforces security for demonstration during G7 summit in France

France will host a G7 summit next week, but it is traders in neighboring Switzerland who have already begun protecting their establishments, boarding up facades with wood panels ahead of an anti-G7 protest due to sweep through Geneva this weekend.

Geneva security authorities presented, on Thursday (11), their plans for Sunday's protest (14), which is expected to bring together around 50 thousand people. The measures include the closure and control of 27 border posts between France and Switzerland from Friday night (12).

The G7 leaders will disembark in Geneva, in the French-speaking region of western Switzerland, before being transported across the border to the summit site in the French city of Évian-les-Bains.

Switzerland is deploying 4,000 soldiers on its territory to guarantee security during the three-day meeting of the leaders of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union, the Army said last week.

France announced the deployment of 8,000 police officers to the summit in Évian, which begins on Monday.

Dozens of stores in Geneva were boarded up due to fears of damage during the demonstration.

Damien Gall, owner of carpentry company Espace, said his team has installed more than 2,000 square meters of wood paneling to help companies protect their properties.

Taxi driver Lamine Lasbet said preparations for the protest were having a "catastrophic" impact on business. "We're going to stay at home, to be honest. It's going to be three or four days without working," he said.

Economic impact
Some Geneva residents expressed concern about the effects of the summit on the city.

"Geneva is not in France, so the problem is spilling over into another country," said Eric Affolter, owner of a souvenir shop. He recalled the damage caused to property in 2013, when a then-G8 summit was held in Évian and protesters clashed with police on Geneva's Left Bank.

Carole-Anne Kast, a member of the local administration, said that the canton of Geneva will probably have to spend around US$25 million on security costs.

According to her, the authorities have sought to reduce the risks of violence and damage to property as much as possible.

Source: CNN