Anti-G8 protesters have attempted to allay residents' fears that the small French town of Annemasse, the closest any demonstrator will get to the coming Alpine summit, may become a battleground.
Thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully on Thursday past shops and bars boarded up ahead of Sunday's main protest against the June 1-3 meet that will bring US President George W. Bush and other world leaders to Evian, about 25 miles away.
Led by drummers, whistlers and musicians, and carrying rainbow peace flags aloft, the mainly young marchers handed out an open letter to residents saying they had nothing to fear.
"The aim of this festive march is to show we are not wreckers, we're here to defend rights which are theirs (Annemasse residents') as well," said Sophie, a psychologist from the region taking part in the march.
Some 3,000-4,000 protesters also marched in the Swiss city of Lausanne, across Lake Geneva from Evian, where many G8 delegations will stay.
Mindful of the protest violence that has dogged past summits, scores of small Annemasse businesses have spent around 1,200 euros (860 pounds) each to board up their store fronts.
A ring of iron and concrete has transformed the local police station into a fortress, protected by concrete blocks, metal barriers, barbed wire rolls and metal fences around six feet high.
"We're not kamikazes," said one protester from the German-based 'No Nation, No Border' group, when asked if protesters would seek to force police blockades on Sunday and try to reach Evian.
France chose the pretty spa town of Evian precisely because it has only one access road and is easy to defend from protesters.
The leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia are due to be joined by heads of state from several developing countries, including China.
One Annemasse resident, Catherine Simula, whose Le Globe bar in Annemasse is on the march route, complained that the security measures were suffocating the town.
"I live near the police station and we're invaded by riot police. We feel like we're in a war zone, and yet this is supposed to be a demonstration for peace. There's a problem somewhere.
Local officials declined to say how many riot police have been stationed in Annemasse, but France has deployed some 15,000 police, paramilitary police and soldiers in the Evian-Annemasse zone for the summit.
Initially, organisers had hoped to attract several hundred thousand people to the main protests. But organisers of a 'counter summit' being held in Annemasse, and the French authorities, say they expect only 50,000 to 70,000 on Sunday.