How can governments balance safety and the right to protest at the G7?

Debate

Foreign Affairs

How can governments balance safety and the right to protest at the G7?

Hosted by: Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi

Reporter specialised in Swiss foreign affairs, with a side hustle as a sub-editor in the English Department. Previously my focus was on disinformation and fact-checks, which I still produce occasionally.

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The G7 Summit, which France is hosting June 15-17 in Evian on Lake Geneva, is triggering a major security operation in neighbouring Switzerland. Despite not being part of the G7, it will deploy its army and regional police forces to ensure security for heads of state who will land in Geneva before heading across the border. Switzerland wants France to cover some of these costs.

Businesses in Geneva, meanwhile, fear a repeat of the damage they suffered during violent protests when the summit (then the G8) took place in Evian in 2003.

Who should pay for the G7 security costs in Switzerland? Should authorities close the border with France and ban protests against the summit?

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