Protesters in Geneva clashed with police, set a car on fire, and smashed bank windows just before the world's seven largest democracies held their annual summit in a French resort town near the Swiss border, according to AP News. To handle the security risk, Switzerland deployed 4,000 soldiers along its side of the border, Reuters reported.

Swiss law says the military cannot act as police in other countries, so the soldiers had a specific job: stop protesters from crossing from Switzerland into France, screen traffic at the border, and seal off crossings. The geography made this necessary. The summit took place in Évian, a town on the shore of Lake Geneva, with Switzerland directly across the water. Roads also connect Switzerland through France to the summit location. Without security on the Swiss side, protesters could use Swiss territory as a staging ground to approach the event.

Geneva itself is a magnet for large protests. The city hosts the European offices of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and many international banks. Groups opposing global trade agreements and international institutions often march there to be seen and heard. A burning car and smashed windows send a message: organized people are here to oppose this summit.

France is hosting the summit this year, which means France sets what gets discussed and is responsible for keeping leaders safe. The organizers chose Évian because its position on the lake allows for a tight, controlled security zone — easier to protect than a city center. France used Évian for a similar summit in 2003 and learned from that experience.

Here's the complication: France and Switzerland are separate countries with no single commander running security. France controls what happens on its side; Switzerland operates independently under its own rules. Schengen rules — an agreement allowing most European countries to move freely across borders — let countries put temporary walls back up when hosting big events. France likely used this power, just as it did during the 2015 Paris climate talks and the 2024 Olympics. Swiss soldiers at the border were the second part of the plan: not police, but a visible presence that discouraged large groups of people from trying to cross.

One thing to notice: protesters were focused on the United States' role in the G7. News reports explicitly mentioned this connection, showing how much the current U.S. administration's trade policies and approach to international agreements are sparking opposition in Europe. G7 summits always attract demonstrations, but these protests had a clearer focus — anger at specific U.S. policies rather than just general anti-business sentiment — which typically makes them better organized.

What happens outside the summit's security walls and what happens inside the meeting rooms are two separate stories. Leaders of these countries have gotten used to working while people protest outside. What does matter is how the violence and disorder look back home — each country's public will judge whether their leader handled the situation well.

In the 48 hours after the first clashes, security officials on both sides of the border needed to figure out if what happened on Sunday was the worst of it or just the beginning.