ANNEMASSE, France — Thousands of brightly clad protesters marched peacefully through this working-class town on Thursday in the first day of demonstrations against the Group of Eight summit this weekend.

Shouting "Police are fascists, assassins" or carrying red and black Communist flags, the anti-globalization protesters beat drums to a samba rhythm in hopes of proving to worried locals that the demonstrators mean no harm.

"We're here to express the anger and frustration that millions of people around the world are feeling but can't express," said a 40-year-old British protester who gave only his first name, Mark.

Police estimated that about 4,000 people marched in Annemasse, just across the Swiss border from Geneva. The town is France's designated hub of protest for the G-8 summit that starts in nearby Evian on Sunday.

A similar number of protesters turned out in the Swiss town of Lausanne, which lies opposite Lake Geneva from Evian. Presidents from developing countries who are not part of the G-8 group will be staying in Lausanne. The Swiss protest also passed virtually without incident.

In Annemasse, dozens of riot police stood calmly behind a barricade of metal fences, concrete blocks and chicken wire that shut a street near the central police station. Only a few officers on motorcycles followed the marchers.

The violence that marked previous anti-G-8 protests has loomed large this year. Many shopkeepers boarded up their stores, and the police presence is heavy throughout the region.

"They don't look mean, but you've got to take the proper precautions," said grocery owner Aimee, 54, who would only give her first name as she hurriedly took fruit crates inside as the crowd passed by.

The signs and children's play center at a local McDonald's restaurant, more than a half-mile from the march route, were covered in boards.

"You're always afraid that they might do some damage," said Laurent Bourgoin, an assistant manager at the restaurant. McDonald's "is a symbol that's often attacked — and the locals already know where we are," he said.

Also Thursday, hundreds of activists kicked off three-day "counter-summit" in Annemasse to compile their concerns on the environment, African development, debt relief, human rights and AIDS, among other issues. They are to present their concerns to a top adviser of French President Jacques Chirac — the host of the G-8 summit — on Monday, the groups said.

Thousands of anti-G-8 protesters erected tents in a sprawling campsite near a vacant airfield outside the town, preparing for the marches and meetings. The largest protests are expected on Sunday.

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Evian is a no-go area for protesters, and France has deployed 15,000 police in the area to ensure security. Evian residents have been provided badges so that they can get into the village. The Swiss have an additional 15,000 police, reinforced by 1,000 additional officers from Germany and by army units.

Marchers on Thursday held a minute of silence to honor a protester who died in a skirmish with police during a G-8 meeting in Genoa, Italy, in 2001. "Evian is not Genoa," one banner read.

Still, several marchers said they were ready to stand their ground against security forces in the coming days, vowing to block roads leading from Annemasse to Evian.

"In Christianity, it's said you're supposed to turn the other cheek," said Alex, 27, a self-described anarchist from northeastern Strasbourg. "Not me — if the police hit me, I'll hit back."

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