Up to 3,000 people took part in a warm-up protest in front of the UN building in Geneva today ahead of this weekend's meeting of G8 leaders.
Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Geneva and in the nearby Frenchtown of Annemasse to join the main protest on the opening day of a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Evian, across the border in France.
They are staying in "alternative" villages and will be marching simultaneously on either side of the border and meeting up at a border-crossing.
Protestors from Britain, Switzerland and Germany took part in today's largely peaceful protest march under the banner "NoBorders", shouting slogans such as "No Border, No Deportation" and"No to the Occupation of Iraq".
"We are here to defend asylum-seekers. Why can money passthrough borders but not asylum-seekers," said one Britishdemonstrator, who declined to be named.
Criticising the International Organisation for Migration (IOM),a non-UN agency, Franck Duvell, from Germany, said: "The IOM is anatural enemy of any migrant, an enemy of freedom of movement."
After protesting outside the closed-off World Trade Organisation(WTO), they marched towards the UN, throwing stones en route at theRussian mission.
The first anti-G8 demonstration took place yesterday in theSwiss city of Lausanne, which faces Evian across Lake Geneva andwhich will host leaders of 11 developing countries from Saturday,attending on the sidelines of the G8.
The Lausanne rally took place largely peacefully and in aparty-like atmosphere, with just a small group dressed in blackamong the some 5,000 participants having tried to provoke police bythrowing cans.
"It's a victory against the small idiots who believe you canresolve things by smashing everything up," said Aristides Pedreza,one of the anti-G8 organisers from the Vaud region where Lausanne islocated.
Swiss French-language newspapers expressed relief at thepeaceful nature of the rally, with Le Matinnewspaper calling it a"victory against hysteria" which has taken agrip of Geneva.
Many banks, shops and businesses in Geneva's chic downtown havebeen boarded up for several days as a precaution against violentdemonstrations, and many intend to remain closed until early nextweek.
The area where the United Nations and internationalorganisations such as the WTO are situated will be off-limits on Sundaywhen up to 100,000 people are expected to take part in the dualprotests.
Initial estimates had spoken of about 300,000 people, but havegradually been adjusted downwards.
"The trade unions, who normally contribute, will be less presentthan planned," said Bernard Pinaud, of the non-governmentalorganisation, the Centre of Research and Information forDevelopment.
They are focused on fighting pension reform in France and "theG8 seems much farther away to a trade union militant thatretirement", he said.
Sunday's action is expected to begin with symbolic blockades ofbridges in Geneva and across roads in Annemasse to try to hold updelegates headed for Evian.
"The social struggles underway are the outcome of theapplication of liberal directives advocated by the G8 in the areasof public services or education," Sophie Zafari, of the French FSUtrade union.
Meanwhile, about 200 protestors on bicycles blocked Friday aroundabout in front of the Swiss-based headquarters at Vevey of foodgiant Nestle to demonstrate against the meeting of leaders of theworld's eight leading industrialised nations.
Under the watchful eye of about 100 police, the protestorsstaged the action after cycling from the capital Bern headed forLausanne.
AFP