Heavy clashes erupted between environmentalists and police over a disputed water reserve in the Deux-Sèvres department, in western France, on Saturday.
Police vans were set alight during a protest in the West of France 25 March 2023© PASCAL LACHENAUD/AFP
Thousands of protesters mobilized in the late morning staging a procession in Sainte-Soline and defying a ban on gatherings in the area.
The protest quickly descended into clashes with large amounts of tear gas fired by police and protesters hurling rocks and petrol bombs.
