Protesters torch Tesla, smash UN windows in Geneva march against G7

Protesters set a Tesla vehicle on fire and smashed windows at a United Nations agency in Geneva on Sunday as they marched against a Group of Seven summit scheduled to begin the next day in France.

Around 20,000 people joined the march, which started peacefully before some demonstrators damaged what they called symbols of capitalism and multilateralism, including the parked Tesla and the UN office.

Demonstrators threw bricks at police, and officers responded with tear gas in the streets, witnesses told Reuters.

There have been similar protests at past G7 meetings, where demonstrators have criticized capitalism, globalization, climate change and inequality.

Participants in Sunday's march said they opposed the G7 as a symbol of concentrated political and economic power.

The protest came days after Tesla owner Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire.

"To me, it's a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind," protester Pippa Saugy told Reuters.

The summit, set for Monday through Wednesday in Évian-les-Bains on the shore of Lake Geneva, will bring together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union.

The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are expected to top the agenda. Leaders will also try to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump after he announced a tentative agreement aimed at ending the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

Businesses in Geneva boarded up their windows, and hundreds of riot police were deployed ahead of possible violence.

"This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest," protester Mattia Piccard told Reuters.

Another demonstrator, Clélia Colin, said she wanted to highlight gender inequality.

"The values represented by the G7 are completely misogynistic, and they contribute to inequality," Colin told Reuters.