Activists in the Gironde province of France demonstrated against the construction of a high-speed train line in the region. According to reports in the French press, thousands of environmentalists took part in the protest in the town of Lerm-et-Musset, located in the southwest of the country.
The demonstration aimed to protest the construction of a high-speed train line on the Paris, Toulouse, and Dax route. More than a thousand people, including members of the youth organization of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party and environmental groups, participated in the protest.
Clashes occurred between security forces and the demonstrators during the protest. Police intervened with tear gas and batons, and a gendarme vehicle was set on fire. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau referred to the environmentalists as “outlaws” in a post on his X account.
The French minister claimed that an environmental issue was used as an excuse to attack law enforcement.