Thousands are protesting as Trump, other world leaders meet at the G7 summit Objections

Rights activists have gathered in Geneva to criticize the policies of the G7 countries ahead of the group’s annual summit this week in France.

Thousands of people have protested in Geneva this week ahead of the event The Group of Seven (G7).which plans to bring together the President of the United States Donald Trump and other world leaders who are close to France.

The demonstration on Sunday was led by the coalition called “No-G7”, which has more than 60 organizations and groups, including Palestinian rights activists, feminists and environmentalists.

“We are very afraid of the policies and politics of Mr. Trump and the other G7 leaders, because they are fighting, they are making war everywhere,” said Francoise Nyffeler, the spokeswoman for the coalition.

“The world is in danger, and we are very afraid of this and we want to protest and say that the people of the world are against their principles,” he added.

Swiss and French authorities have sent thousands of police officers to provide security for the three-day conference, which begins on Monday in the French city of Evian-les-Bains.

Authorities have closed roads, banned illegal gatherings, and promised financial aid to businesses that may face unrest.

Many businesses and shops boarded up their shops with wooden panels as a measure of protection, a chaos that left destruction in Geneva at the same meeting in Evian in 2003.

Referring to the protests in Geneva on Sunday, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said the protests have accused the G7 of being “about the rich getting bigger and the poor getting worse”.

“They say that the group of rich countries does not represent the people of the world; that their policies and decisions affect the world in terms of climate, equality and poverty,” said Butler.

Questions about the legitimacy of the G7 – which includes the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom – are not new.

The group of countries previously accounted for 70 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) – a figure that has fallen to 40 percent – while representing one-tenth of the world’s population.

Reflecting the global power shift, other international groups are also growing. The BRICS countries – which include India, Russia and China – have increased the number of their members from five to 11.

While the G7 meetings always attract protests, this year’s event also comes amid global frustration with the Trump administration over issues as diverse as tariffs. The US-Israel war in Iranit’s a weather problem.

Demonstrators have been gathering for days before Sunday’s protest in Geneva.

About 20 boats were seen on Lake Geneva on the shores of Evian on Saturday, displaying signs against the G7 and the recognition of Palestine. About 20 protesters were arrested on Friday evening, according to Swiss media reports.