During protests against an agricultural irrigation project in western France, protesters and security forces clashed violently today, according to official reports.
The “Bassines non merci” alliance called for a demonstration in Sainte-Soline. Despite the gathering ban, around 6,000 people demonstrated, according to authorities. The alliance spoke of 25,000 participants.
Violent clashes erupted around the planned water reservoir construction site. Protesters who tried to occupy the pool threw fireworks and homemade explosive devices, among other things. According to authorities, around 3,200 police in riot gear and with water cannons that used tear gas and a water cannon confronted them.
The object of the protests is a water reservoir as part of an irrigation project for agriculture. The project, managed by a cooperative of 450 farmers with government support, will build 16 reservoirs with a total capacity of around six million cubic meters, mainly in the department of Deux-Sevres. The objective is to store the groundwater captured in winter in the open air to water the plants in the summer, when the rains are less frequent.
Advocates see this as a prerequisite for farms to survive in the face of recurrent periods of drought. Opponents, on the other hand, criticize that agroindustry is “taking” water in times of climate change.
“As the country stands up for pensions, we stand up for water,” organizers said. There are currently violent and sometimes violent protests across France against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.