Demonstrations against police brutality in France

According to French press reports, thousands of people took to the streets in different cities such as Paris, Lyon, Nantes and Lille to support the demonstrators who were injured in the protest against the construction of artificial rafts on March 25 and to oppose police violence.

As protesters gathered in the square in front of the Paris City Hall, some of the protesters dispersed into side streets. Police responded with tear gas as protesters set garbage bins and barricades on fire.

There were moments of tension between the police and the demonstrators at the Lyon demonstration. 7 people were arrested in Paris and at least 2 protesters in Lyon.

Thousands of environmentalists held a demonstration in the town of Saint-Soline, in the country’s Deux-Sevres province, on March 25 to protest the construction of 16 artificial watersheds in the region. Official sources specified that 28 gendarmes and 7 demonstrators were injured in clashes between the parties in the demonstrations where the police and gendarmerie intervened harshly. The organizers, for their part, specified that nearly 200 demonstrators were injured. (AA)