Thousands of anti-capitalist protesters marched through Zurich on Tuesday to demonstrate against a planned visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week.
Leftists organisers had called for protests under the mottos “Trump Not Welcome” and “Smash WEF!”
Trump is due to speak on Friday at the WEF meeting in the Alpine town of Davos, an annual meeting of global business and political leaders.
Flag-waving demonstrators carried anti-globalist and environmentalist placards such as “No Trump, no coal, no gas, no fossil fuels” as they marched toward Zurich’s financial district, where bankers had been warned to stay clear of the approved demonstration.
Demonstrators in the Swiss capital of Bern staged similar protests against Trump’s visit on Jan. 13.
That march went off peacefully, unlike violent anti-WEF protests in several Swiss citities in the early 2000s.
More than 4,000 Swiss soldiers have deployed to guard Davos alongside 1,000 police, while a no-fly zone was put in place to protect delegates.
