The pristine streets of Geneva were shattered today by the sound of breaking glass and shouting. Thousands of protesters, many waving union flags and placards decrying corporate greed, clashed with riot police outside the cordoned-off G7 summit. The leaders of the world’s richest nations were inside discussing global economic policy, but on the pavement, the mood was one of raw fury.
Sarah Jenkins, Economy & Labour Reporter, was on the ground. The air was thick with tear gas and the rhythmic beat of drums. “We are here because our governments have forgotten us,” said Marie Leclerc, a striking nurse from Lyon who had travelled to the summit. “They cut our wages, they raise our prices, and then they meet in luxury hotels to pat themselves on the back.”
The protests, organized by a coalition of European trade unions and environmental groups, were a stark reminder of the growing gulf between the political elite and the working class. The cost of living crisis, stagnant wages, and regional inequality are the drivers of this anger. In the UK, the average real wage is still below its 2008 peak. In France, fuel prices have sparked months of unrest. Here in Geneva, the frustration is boiling over.
Police in full riot gear pushed back a crowd attempting to breach a fence near the summit venue. Bottles and stones were thrown. A small fire was lit in a bin. At one point, a line of officers on horseback charged a side street. The protesters scattered, but regrouped moments later, chanting “Eat the rich.”
Inside the summit, the G7 leaders are expected to issue a communiqué on global tax reform and climate change. But for the people outside, these are distant promises. “I cannot feed my family on promises,” said Jean-Paul Dubois, a factory worker from the deindustrialized north of France. “They are talking about carbon credits while I cannot afford to heat my home.”
The symbolism is not lost on the demonstrators. The G7 nations, which represent roughly half of global economic output, have seen a surge in billionaires’ wealth even as millions face food poverty. A new report by Oxfam, released to coincide with the summit, shows that the world’s richest 1% have captured nearly two-thirds of all new wealth since 2020.
This disparity is the fuel for today’s confrontation. The protesters demand a windfall tax on corporate profits, a real increase in the minimum wage, and an end to austerity. They have been met with a police force determined to keep them at a distance. “This is what democracy looks like when the powerful feel threatened,” said a union spokesperson through a megaphone.
As the sun sets over Lake Geneva, the clashes have subsided, but the anger remains. The G7 leaders will return to their hotels tonight. The protesters will camp in the streets. Tomorrow, the talks resume. But the real conversation, between the haves and the have-nots, is only just beginning.
