Heavy security deployed around Evian for G7 summit

France has deployed about 16,000 police, gendarmes and military personnel around Evian-les-Bains for the June 15-17 G7 summit, turning the French-Swiss lake region into a tightly controlled security zone as officials prepare for protests, sabotage risks and cross-border disruption.

The operation was disclosed as the summit approached and comes after earlier warnings that the border region would face unusually heavy security. French authorities say the measures are designed to protect heads of government and delegations while limiting the risk of disruption in and around the resort town.

The perimeter covers about 1,670 square kilometers, according to Le Monde. It includes police motorcyclists, gendarmes, river patrols, drone pilots, anti-terror and cybercrime specialists, riot police, bomb-disposal experts, helicopters and nearly 1,000 military personnel.

A large security footprint

Officials have paired the manpower with a layered access system. Entry is controlled through QR-code passes, and the area has been divided into color-coded restricted zones. The goal is to manage movement by residents, workers and visitors while keeping summit venues and routes protected.

French officials have cited a tense international context, sabotage concerns, cyberthreats and broader public-order risks. The scale of the deployment has drawn comparisons with major security preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics, reflecting the seriousness with which authorities are treating the event.

The operation is not only about the summit itself. It is also about maintaining control over roads, airspace, the shoreline and access points across a region where French and Swiss jurisdictions overlap and where any security incident could quickly affect both sides of the border.

Pressure in Geneva

The nearby Swiss city of Geneva is already feeling the effects. AP reported that downtown Geneva has been boarded up as security tightens ahead of anti-G7 protests, with seven of 35 border crossings remaining open and other restrictions in place around the city.

Switzerland has also deployed about 4,000 army personnel for the summit security response, according to AP. In the broader operation, AP said more than 13,000 officers and 800 border-control agents are active.

That cross-border posture matters because commuters, businesses and travelers in the lake region depend on a normal flow across the frontier. The current restrictions are already creating pressure on movement, commerce and access inside the security zones, especially for businesses close to the summit area.

Protest risk and public order

Authorities on both sides of the border are preparing for demonstrations, including those planned by the activist coalition No G7. AP and Le Monde both reported expectations of protest activity in Geneva and around the summit zone.

The concern is not only turnout but the possibility that protests could spill into transport corridors or create flashpoints near the border. That risk is part of why officials have built a security plan that combines perimeter control, specialist units and rapid-response capabilities.

The public-order challenge is also political. The G7 summit is happening in a sensitive international environment, and officials have framed the security operation as a necessary response to the possibility of sabotage or disruption rather than a routine protective detail.

Timeline and outlook

Le Monde reported on June 1 that the summit was already straining relations between France and Switzerland because of the expected security burden and border disruption. On June 11, AP reported that security was being tightened and that Geneva was preparing for anti-G7 protests.

On June 14, Le Monde published the most detailed account of the French operation, including the 16,000-person deployment, the restricted zones and the QR-code access system. That reporting, together with AP's cross-border coverage, confirms that the summit security posture is now fully in place before the June 15-17 meeting.

Open questions remain over the final public cost of the operation, whether France will formally deploy gendarmes to assist Swiss forces and how large the protests in Geneva will be in practice. Further road, lake, border or airspace restrictions could still be announced before the summit opens.

For now, Evian and the surrounding lake region are under one of the largest security operations in recent years, with the impact extending well beyond the summit venue itself.