Thousands of anti-globalization demonstrators opposed to the G-8 summit in the French town of Evian, near the Swiss border, have clashed with police.
The demonstrations took place on both sides of the border. Protesters blocked bridges and highways with burning barricades, ransacked shops and looted some businesses.
The most violent protests were in the Swiss town of Lausanne. Police fired rubber pellets and tear gas into the air to drive crowds of demonstrators away from the hotel where some delegates to the G-8 summit are staying.
Some of the protesters wearing black masks and black T-shirts also targeted shops and damaged a gas station. Demonstrators also hurled rocks at police. One man was seriously injured in a fall on a highway outside Lausanne.
The protesters aired a multitude of grievances against the policies of the world's richest countries.