Version imprimableThe route of the demonstration had been negotiated with the authorities since November. We have come up against an intransigence on the part of the Minister of Police, a member of the Socialist Party, and the authorities of the city of Geneva.
The path requested by our coalition was not accepted. They didn’t want us to get close to the streets where multinationals and luxury boutiques are located. The city centre looked like a barricaded city, most of the windows and some windows were protected by planks. We have witnessed a political and media bludgeon on the part of the authorities and the right against possible violence.
The number of participants in the protest exceeded all the most optimistic forecasts of the NOG7 Coalition. We were counting on a range of 10,000 people; we were about 60,000!
The feminist strike remains the most powerful, socially anchored and most capable of mobilizing. Its cortege was undoubtedly the most numerous. Its demands are radical and anti-capitalist.
Solidarity with the Palestinian people was shown by a large group. The Kurds, in all their diversity, also played a very important role in the demonstration.
The “Living Defends” bloc brought together all the environmental movements. However, we can regret the weak presence of Swiss trade unions, as well as the limited and rather symbolic presence of French trade unions.
Repression and bludgeoning
A few days before the big demonstration, the city of Geneva was under siege: thousands of police and military personnel from other regions of Switzerland had been deployed in the city of Calvin, supported by the French police who could intervene in the canton. According to the newspapers, people were stopped up to five times a day, police vans in large numbers, German-speaking Swiss who did not speak French.
All along the route, grids were provided in “sensitive points” that the demonstrators had to channel. Once the protest ended, in the same park where it had started, the police intervened brutally and surrounded some of the protesters. More than 300 people were trapped until dawn, then about twenty of them were taken to the police station, before being released.
The Geneva and French NOG7 Coalition issued several statements hailing the success of the huge demonstration, but also the “serious security abuses” observed on Sunday. The coalition condemned “the very numerous tear gas shots, especially on the part of the procession reserved for families and children. Similarly, the coalition castigates the scandalous kettling of 549 people implemented for nearly 10 hours.”
The joy of having succeeded!
Despite the repression, we are very satisfied with the massive size, conviviality, diversity and radicalism of the demonstration. This feeling of victory is an excellent springboard for the mobilizations and challenges that await us.
23 June 2026
