French police clash with protesters opposed to reservoir plans
Updates injury count, adds other details
SAINTE-SOLINE, France, March 25 (Reuters) -One police officer and a protester were seriously injured on Saturday in clashes during an unauthorised demonstration against the construction of a water reservoir for farm irrigation in western France.
Police fired tear gas to repel some protesters who threw fireworks and other projectiles as they crossed fields to approach the construction area in the rural district of Sainte-Soline. At least three police vehicles were set alight, television footage showed.
Emmanuelle Dubee, the prefect of the surrounding region, said at least 6,000 protesters had joined the march, defying a ban on protests at the site where a similar protest last October also turned violent.
One officer and one protestor were in a critical condition, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said, adding their lives were not in danger.
In all, seven protesters and 24 police officers were injured, said Darmanin, who blamed the violence on around 1,000 far-left activists. Disturbances had started in nearby areas on Friday ahead of Saturday's violence, with police detaining 12 people, he added.
Around 3,200 police officers, some in helicopters and on quad bikes, were deployed for the demonstration, the authorities said. Stun grenades were used to repel protesters, Darmanin said.
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.
France's worst drought on record last summer sharpened the debate over water resources in the European Union's biggest agricultural sector.
Supporters say artificial reservoirs are a way to use water efficiently when needed, while critics - who call them "mega-basins" - argue they are outsized and favour large farms.
Reporting by Yves Herman and Marco Trujillo; additional reporting and writing by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Mike Harrison
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
