French protesters against farm water reservoir clash with riot police, light car on fire
- last year
French protesters against farm water reservoir clash with riot police, light car on fire
Police in western France clashed with protesters opposed to the creation of a large water reservoir for farm irrigation on Saturday. Video showed a police car on fire, as some protesters threw fireworks and other projectiles in the rural district of Sainte-Soline.
The protest over the irrigation project comes after weeks of demonstrations in France against a pension reform that have turned violent since the government pushed through the legislation without a final parliamentary vote. Thousands of protesters converged on the site of the planned reservoir, in defiance of a district-area ban on gatherings.
"We hope that we'll be heard. That it will escalate. And that we manage as much as possible to slow down the project,” protester Marie said.
"I want to solemnly call on all political leaders, all elected officials of the nation, whatever their political opinion for pension reform, for water reservoirs — this is after all a democratic debate — to condemn this extreme violence against the gendarmes of the Republic,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said separately.
Police in western France clashed with protesters opposed to the creation of a large water reservoir for farm irrigation on Saturday. Video showed a police car on fire, as some protesters threw fireworks and other projectiles in the rural district of Sainte-Soline.
The protest over the irrigation project comes after weeks of demonstrations in France against a pension reform that have turned violent since the government pushed through the legislation without a final parliamentary vote. Thousands of protesters converged on the site of the planned reservoir, in defiance of a district-area ban on gatherings.
"We hope that we'll be heard. That it will escalate. And that we manage as much as possible to slow down the project,” protester Marie said.
"I want to solemnly call on all political leaders, all elected officials of the nation, whatever their political opinion for pension reform, for water reservoirs — this is after all a democratic debate — to condemn this extreme violence against the gendarmes of the Republic,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said separately.