Western towns in France gearing up for protests against mega-water reservoirs

By Nur Asena Erturk

Western towns in France are gearing up for protests against the construction of mega-water reservoirs.

The undeclared protests planned for Friday and Saturday are expected to gather between 6,000 and 8,000 protesters, the prefect of the western department of Deux-Sevres, Emmanuelle Dubee told the broadcaster France Bleu on Thursday.

Protests were banned in the region upon “risks,” she added.

The commander of local gendarmerie units, Samuel Dubuis, noted that 4,500 people were already in the town of Melle in Deux-Sevres, with 450 identified violent suspects.

Authorities also added that they seized 1,600 materials, including 800 that could be considered arms, such as knives, axes, and picks.

Dubee called on people not to attend those “unauthorized protests.”

In March 2023, protests in the western town of Sainte-Soline in the same region were marked by violence.

Two people were severely injured and fell into a coma, and dozens of others also sustained injuries in violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Sainte-Soline.

The government accused members of the activist group the Earth Uprisings Collective (Soulevements de la Terre, or SLT) of organizing sabotage and causing material damage, including through violence, under the cover of supporting the preservation of the environment.

Violent clashes erupted at unauthorized protests against the construction of agricultural mega-water reservoirs in Sainte-Soline.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked to dissolve the SLT following the incidents.

The Council of State rejected the case in November 2023.