The protests within the metropolis on France’s Atlantic coast have been meant to point out that new “reservoirs aren’t being constructed to develop meals regionally, however to feed worldwide markets,” mentioned Julien Le Guet, a spokesman for the “Reservoirs, No Thanks” motion.
Activists say the reservoirs, set to be stuffed from aquifers in winter to offer summer season irrigation, profit solely giant farmers on the expense of smaller operations and the atmosphere.
A number of dozen are below building in western France, with backers saying that with out them farms threat vanishing as they undergo by way of repeated droughts.
Final yr, mass clashes between hundreds of demonstrators and police in Sainte-Soline, round 90 kilometres (56 miles) inland from La Rochelle, left two protesters in a coma and injured 30 officers.
Additional scuffles broke out Saturday as demonstrators returned to La Rochelle’s centre from the agricultural port, with some launching fireworks on the police, who responded with tear gasoline and water cannons.
“Stop hearth, there are kids within the march,” Le Guet shouted.
“Do not make the identical mistake as at Sainte-Soline”.
Fears of clashes had been excessive all week, with greater than 3,000 police deployed round a “Water Village” protest camp in Melle, a number of kilometres from Sainte-Soline, as authorities warned of a threat of “nice violence”.