Scenes coming out of Switzerland left little to the imagination: American flags set on fire, smashed storefronts, and riot police clashing with protesters—all ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled arrival in Davos for the World Economic Forum. So much for “peaceful protest” and European lectures on civility.
President Trump is set to arrive Wednesday in Davos, where he is expected to address the annual gathering of global political leaders, CEOs, bankers, and policymakers. The forum, held in eastern Switzerland, is one of the most high-profile economic summits in the world, focused on global trade, security, and geopolitics.
His visit comes at a time of elevated tensions with European leaders, particularly after Trump doubled down on his push to acquire Greenland for U.S. national security reasons and declined to rule out military options. Predictably, that firm America-first stance didn’t sit well with certain activist circles.
Around 300 protesters marched through Davos on January 19, opposing both the forum itself and Trump’s planned appearance. Chanting “Trump not welcome” and holding banners with similar messages, demonstrators accused Swiss authorities of legitimizing what they called authoritarian and plutocratic politics—strong words from people smashing windows in ski resort towns.
Images from the protests showed masked demonstrators burning American flags, while local media reported property damage, including broken shop windows. According to Swiss outlet Swissinfo, clashes broke out after police moved to disperse the crowd.
Officers in full riot gear deployed water cannons, chemical irritants, and rubber bullets, saying they were targeted with fireworks. Police also reported that paint bags were thrown at building facades and shop windows were smashed near Bahnhofstrasse and Uraniastrasse. Two officers were reportedly hit by stones but were not injured.
Similar demonstrations occurred in other Swiss cities. In Bern, police broke up a protest after sealing off the city center. In Zurich, thousands marched Sunday night, with one sign reading, “Put the Trumpster in the dumpster”—a slogan that says more about the protesters than the president.
Activists from the Swiss NGO Campax also projected a cartoon image of Trump onto a ski slope near Davos, labeling him the “Spirit of plutocracy,” because apparently that’s what passes for serious political discourse these days.
Despite the unrest, the World Economic Forum is expected to move forward as planned, with trade tensions, the war in Ukraine, and broader global security concerns dominating discussions. And once again, President Trump’s presence has proven what supporters already know: he doesn’t just show up to global forums—he forces the world to pay attention.
