While Swiss authorities are preparing for clashes with demonstrators at the World Economic Forum this week, the risk that things will turn violent has fallen as activists and the community of Davos are taking a more conciliatory stance. In the early 1980s, just five policemen were deployed for the annual gathering of leading politicians and top executives.
Today, hundreds of officers and several thousand soldiers protect the venue in the mountains of eastern Switzerland, at an estimated cost of more than 7 million euros (9 million dollars), while air force fighter jets are put on alert for the event that starts Wednesday. However, the organisers and the town want to shed the image of a secretive "world government" meeting in a remote Alpine location.
Therefore, activists of the Occupy movement have been allowed to set up an igloo village - not inside the conference venue, but almost within shouting distance, near the train station. "Don't let them decide for you! Come to Davos and protest against the self-appointed elites of this world!" said the website of the group - an offshoot of the movement that started with protests against speculators on Wall Street in New York last year.
So far, three igloos, two tents and a field kitchen have been erected. "It's not so simple. It is minus 20 degrees (Centigrade) at night," said David Roth, one of the activists. While regional authorities in the canton of Graubuenden have adopted restrictive policies against demonstrators in the past, the Occupy activists have found a sympathetic supporter in Hans Peter Michel, the mayor of Davos. Michel has become a kind of mediator between the World Economic Forum and peaceful leftist activists, campaigning for less confrontation between the two sides.
There is potential for conflict, however, as events in the Swiss capital Bern showed at the weekend. Police cordoned off and detained more than 170 anti-Davos demonstrators, after masked activists hurled firecrackers and other items. But many who marched against the World Economic Forum in Davos in previous years will stay away this year, fearing that they could be associated with the small group of violent protesters.
"Many thought that this hurts our cause," said Remy Gyger, who heads the Swiss branch of the anti-globalisation movement Attac. "Our approach is more pragmatic now. We analyse the economic situation and derive concrete demands," he told Swiss news agency SDA.
While the 2,600 participants of the economic forum - including 40 heads of state and government - prepare to discuss the state of the world economy, activists are planning events of their own. Their schedule includes the annual Public Eye Awards for the company with the worst environmental or human rights or record.