Over 3,000 police officers were dispatched to the scene. Among the activists were a thousand who were judged by the police to be potentially dangerous, among them people who had traveled there from Italy.
Violent clashes quickly broke out around the construction. Among other things, the demonstrators threw molotov cocktails and projectiles at the police, who responded with tear gas. Eleven people were arrested and knives and other weapons were seized by the police. At least four police cars have been set on fire.
At the same time, large protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform have been taking place in the country recently. During Saturday, however, there have been no reports of clashes at demonstrations against the pension reform.