Sawt Falasteen - Thousands protest in Geneva ahead of G7 summit in France

Waving banners with messages like "No to the G7 and all imperialist alliances!" and "Abort the G7", the protesters gathered in a park on the shores of Lake Geneva. They then made their way through a barricaded city that seemed to be bracing for an invasion, as helicopters hovered above.

Under a burning sun, they set off shortly after 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), chanting slogans with a range of messages, supporting Palestinians, climate action, feminism and anti-capitalist activism.

Police put the number of protesters at up to 7,000 at the start of the procession, but by 4:30 pm, AFP journalists estimated the number was closer to 15,000.

"I'm here because I'm not happy that this group of heads of state is meeting here to make decisions that affect all of us," Michel, a 69-year-old Swiss retiree waving a Palestinian flag, told AFP.

The coalition, made up of around 200 associations, organisations and unions, called for an "internationalist response" to the policies promoted by the Group of Seven leaders, who kick off their three-day annual gathering on Monday.

- Explosive issues -

The G7 summit will be one of the first major international gatherings since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, upending the Middle East and widening transatlantic tensions.

The G7 brings together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with invited leaders from several other countries, including Brazil and India.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the event, is due to arrive in Evian on Sunday evening, followed by other leaders on Monday, including US President Donald Trump.

The group will have a packed agenda of potentially explosive issues, including efforts to end the war in Iran, with Trump's claims of an imminent deal shrouded in uncertainty.

Most of the leaders will be arriving at Geneva Airport, before making the journey to Evian.

Geneva -- about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of the French spa town -- is on edge.

The authorities are anxious to avoid any repeat of the mayhem of 2003, when anti-G7 rioters caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the Swiss city.

The violence, looting and clashes live long in the memory and small shops, supermarkets and university buildings, some of them far from the protest route, were taking no chances, having boarded up their facades.

The main hospital set up large tents in case of an influx of casualties.

Geneva police said Sunday afternoon they had confiscated a number of objects from protesters "likely to be used as weapons", including knives, axes, gas canisters, and powerful pyrotechnical devices.

Laure, a 38-year-old member of the "No to the G7" collective, said many people were staying away from the demonstration due to "the fear created by authorities".

But she insisted the "amplified messages of anxiety and angst" did not correspond with reality. "We have a truck that will make bubbles for the children, we have drums," she added.

Bringing up the rear of the procession was a car carrying a giant effigy of Donald Trump, with red paint portraying blood oozing from his eyes and mouth, and a black cocktail glass in his hand with "Cuba" scrawled across it.

- Tight security -

While most of the large crowd did appear cheerful, AFP journalists saw several groups of black-clad protesters sporting masks, including one group that broke through a barrier protecting an up-scale apartment building.

AFP journalists also saw a Tesla set alight, and tagged with the words: "Eat the Rich".

The Swiss authorities have permitted the march around a lengthy loop on the north side of the city -- well away from the city centre and its luxury boutiques.

Due to conditions imposed by the French authorities, the No-G7 coalition abandoned plans for a counter-summit and demonstration Sunday in the French border town of Annemasse.

Switzerland is mobilising up to 4,000 troops to support police forces, while France has announced the deployment of nearly 16,000 police, gendarmes, troops, firefighters and border guards around Evian.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST