A weekend protest against the Lyon-Turin railway project in the French department of Savoie, on the border with Italy, resulted in 12 police officers and 50 protesters being injured.
Around 2,000 protesters, including a group of about 300 people dressed in black, protested in the Maurienne Valley against the construction of a rail link between Lyon and the Italian city of Turin. They threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas.
An association representing the protesters, Les Soulevements de la Terre, said 50 protesters were injured and six needed hospitalisation. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted the toll of police injuries. He says 12 police officers were injured.
Border checks uncovered 400 items such as knives and hammers, while 96 people known to security services were sent back to Italy, officials said.
Lyon-Turin railway project worth €26bn
The contested project envisages the construction of a high-speed railway linking the city of Lyon, capital of the French Auverge-Ron-Alps region, to the Italian city of Turin. The railway is 57.5 kilometres long and includes a tunnel through the Alps. The project is estimated to cost €26bn, with part of the funding provided by the European Commission.
Proponents of the project say that once the new rail link is up and running, it will reduce road traffic and consequently pollution. But opponents say the construction will have a major environmental impact, and several streams near the construction site have already begun to dry up.
Share on:
