Julien Le Guet (C), spokesman for the 'Bassines Non Merci' (Reservoirs, No Thanks) movement, stands in a buoy featuring a unicorn, asking French Gendarmerie officers, not to charge during a protest against the construction of giant water reservoirs (Mega-bassines) in La Rochelle, western France on July 20, 2024. (Photo by Philippe Lopez / AFP)
La Rochelle, France: Environmental protesters clashed with police in France's western port of La Rochelle Saturday, AFP journalists saw, as conservationists and small farmers mobilised against massive irrigation reservoirs under construction.
A 2,000-strong march, one of two through the city, was turned back and broke up at around 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) after being charged by police.
Running battles erupted around barricades and burning rubbish bins as some threw projectiles and police fired tear gas grenades.
"We were in the demo, they started blocking ahead and behind. They isolated us off to one side to charge everyone else," said Lilia, a 25-year-old who declined to give her second name.
A police source told AFP around 400 participants in the march were so-called "black bloc" far-left radicals.
Prosecutors in La Rochelle said one policewoman suffered burns and five lightly-wounded demonstrators received medical care.
Several shops were damaged or looted, along with bus shelters and advertising hoardings.
The second more peaceful march, made up of around 3,000 people including some families, moved from the city centre towards the commercial port.
Some used kayaks or inflatable boats to approach the La Pallice agricultural export terminal, singled out by organisers as the target for the demonstrations.
By 3:00 pm, around 3,500 people from the two marches were still gathered at the seashore, a police source said.
Police had earlier Saturday used tear gas to clear around 200 people who entered the terminal at dawn, including farmers with old tractors.
That confrontation broke up mostly peacefully.
