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A little over a year after the clashes in Sainte-Soline in Deux-Sèvres, several opponents of these basins used to store water for crops met in Vienne on Friday, July 19. But their march quickly came to an end.
A field on fire: the result of tear gas fired by police to repel anti-basin protesters. “They are putting our lives in danger”castigates Johanne Rabier, spokesperson for the movement “Basins, no thanks.” For their part, the authorities justify their use: demonstrations are banned, participants (many of them masked) are advancing towards a food processing plant and a water reserve despite the warnings.
All these protesters are demanding a moratorium on megabasins in France. After a few meters, the Republican Guard stopped the procession. The authorities fear that black blocs have infiltrated the movement. The protesters called for calm. The Rural Coordination, in favor of the basins, also invited itself to make its voice heard. At the end of the afternoon, the opponents gave up their demonstration and arranged to meet the next day for a new day of action in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime).