"You have thousands of people who had simply come to make war. This is unacceptable," said the head of state while the banned demonstration on Saturday against the mega-basin of Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres), was punctuated by very violent clashes between activists and police with two protesters still in a coma.
From 6,000 to 8,000 people according to the authorities, 30,000 according to the organizers, demonstrated Saturday.
In two reports, the prefecture and gendarmerie defend a targeted and proportionate response to 800 to 1,000 "radical" demonstrators.
On the contrary, the Human Rights League denounces "an immoderate use" of force on all demonstrators, as soon as they have approached the water reserve.
Clashes between protesters and police, March 25, 2023 in Sainte-Soline, Deux-Sèvres © THIBAUD MORITZ / AFP/Archives
Organizers said 200 people were injured, including at least one person who was blinded in addition to the two protesters in a coma.
The families of the two men filed a complaint for "attempted murder".
© 2023 AFP