Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in Geneva on Sunday as a large anti-G7 demonstration descended into sporadic violence, with protesters smashing bank windows, setting vehicles ablaze and attacking United Nations buildings in the Swiss city. The unrest unfolded on the eve of the G7 leaders' summit in Evian-les-Bains, a historic spa town on the French shore of Lake Geneva, roughly 45 kilometres away.

An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people took part in the afternoon march, organised by the NoG7 coalition — a broad alliance of more than 50 feminist groups, trade unions, environmental organisations, left-wing parties and civil society groups from Switzerland and France. The dominant colour of the crowd was purple: June 14 is Switzerland's annual feminist strike day, established in 2019, and women's rights advocates formed the front of the march. Protesters also carried banners expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, opposition to capitalism and globalisation, and sharp criticism of US President Donald Trump. The violence was concentrated among an estimated 600 so-called