Geneva: Shops set alight in G8 protest

On the eve of a mass anti-G-8 demonstration in Geneva, militant protesters set fire to shops and damaged public buildings in the Swiss city, police said.

Geneva police spokesman Jacques Volery said at least 10 shops were targeted during the late-night downtown trouble involving some 300 individuals, but was unable to give details of the extent of the damage.

Protesters set fire to wooden boards which Geneva banks and stores had put in place to prevent feared vandalism and looting during a march expected to draw tens of thousands today.

They smashed windows of unprotected shops and also caused damage to the Geneva city hall, the cantonal (state) bank building and the offices of the Tribune de Geneve newspaper.

After 45 minutes, the protesters apparently calmed down before midnight, but then started attacking shops again shortly afterward, Mr Volery said.

“It keep stopping and starting,” he said. “They are operating in small groups, which makes them hard to control.”

Riot police cordoned off roads leading into the city’s commercial district. Officers had to intervene several times to protect firefighters from the protesters.

Mr Volery said officers were unable immediately to identify the individuals involved and could not confirm if anyone had been arrested.

The anti-globalisation movement has designated today as a day of protest against the G-8 summit taking place in Evian, a French lakeside resort near the Swiss border. With Evian itself sealed off, there are two authorised protest routes – one from Geneva and one from Annemasse, just over the French border. Tens of thousands are expected to take part.

Geneva has been barricaded beyond recognition in anticipation of problems at the protest march.

During an otherwise peaceful warm-up demonstration against international organisations in Geneva on Friday, around 100 militants caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage when they smashed windows in several buildings, police said yesterday. Three people were arrested following the trouble, one of whom remains in custody.

There were no incidents on Thursday during a demonstration in Lausanne, the Swiss city hosting presidents from developing countries such as South Africa and Egypt on the sidelines of the G-8.